Campione of the Shinju
by fg7dragon
Summary: Sealing Kaguya did not work out as well as he had hoped. Still, killing her should be just as well, right? Unfortunately, there are consequences to everything, even saving the world from an insane Rabbit Goddess... though not all of them are that bad. Thrust into a new world, Naruto is given the opportunity to live a more peaceful life... well, peaceful by his standards, anyway.
1. Chapter 1

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own Naruto or Campione. Naruto is the property of Masashi Kishimoto and Campione is the property of Takedzuki Jou.

 _Italics text = character thinking to themselves._

 _Underline+Italics = character communicating with telepathy_

 **Bold text = shouting**

 _ **Bold+Italcs = Casting Spell/Ability**_

 **Chapter One**

 **The King of Beasts**

" **Hang on, Naruto!"** Kurama roared from within the confines of his mind.

" **Hang on? Onto what?!"** Naruto shouted back incredulously.

" **Anything, you idiot!"** the mighty Tailed Beast exclaimed insistently.

" **You're the idiot, idiot!"** Naruto shouted indignantly. **"The only thing here is Kaguya, and I'm not touching that granny! She'll steal my chakra again or outright kill me!"** he exclaimed as he and the bisected Kaguya kept swirling through the unstable dimensional rift that their unwisely combined Space-Time Jutsu had created.

One may wonder how they ended up such a situation…

 _Flashback_

Kakashi could only stare in surprise at the swirling rift in space that had just absorbed the _**Tomogoroshi no Haikotsu (All-Killing Ash Bone)**_ that he had intended to block with his own body to protect Sasuke before his eyes darted towards Obito who had mirrored his actions to protect Naruto, his eyes immediately going to the bone spear embedded in his gut, surrounded by quickly dying flesh.

"W-Why?" Kakashi stuttered. "We both should…" he trailed off, before gaining heat. **"Your power is still needed here! Why save me, I'm useless…"**

"It's the other way around… even with the chakra Naruto gave me, I was almost done anyway." Obito grunted in pain. "More importantly, focus on the enemy."

Painfully tearing his eyes away, Kakashi focused on Kaguya across from them, though the ancient woman was content to watch for the moment.

"Obito…!" Naruto gasped in shock as he noticed the bone spear protruding from the older Uchiha's back before hurrying to his side, placing his right hand bearing the Yang Sun Seal against his skin and attempted to heal him.

" **It's useless, Naruto."** Black Zetsu mocked from within Kaguya's left sleeve. **"You can't do anything; he'll just rot away like garbage."**

" **Shut up!"** Naruto shouted.

"…Stop Naruto. What he says is true." Obito grunted. "Don't waste… your chakra."

" **Why do you help him?"** asked with a hint of curiosity. **"He used to be your enemy… Well… he betrayed us too… he's just rubbish."** He taunted.

"Naruto… listen closely…" Obito whispered, taking advantage of Black Zetsu's monologue. "Hide behind me… and remove your eyes…"

"Wha…?" Naruto's breath hitched.

"You'll need… my _**Kamui**_ … to keep up with her… I'm leaving you… my Mangekyo Sharingan." Obito whispered.

Having regained full use of his Rinnegan, Sasuke teleported to Kaguya's side with a Chidori aimed at her head.

A moment later, the world shifted once more into a mountainous realm, Kaguya disappearing from next to Sasuke and appearing high in the sky where the teenage Uchiha followed with his Complete Susanoo.

Meanwhile, while Sasuke was distracting Kaguya, Naruto had followed Obito's instructions and had removed his eyes with Sasuka's help and was in the process of connecting his optical nerves to Obito's using his Yang Chakra to accelerate the healing, while Obito was giving his last words, eyelids closed with two streams of blood trailing down his face – face that had already begun fragmenting into ash.

"…You told me… that you never take back your words… that's your ninja way… right?" Obito managed to utter.

"…Yeah." Naruto softly agreed, his voice pained both from the eye transplant and what was happening to Obito.

"Naruto… **Become Hokage… at all costs.** " Obito told – no, _ordered_ him before his form shattered into shattered into ash.

"Yeah." the blond whispered as his eyes opened, an orange Sharingan leaking tears of blood staring at his former enemy's remains for a moment.

" **So that stupid traitor finally died!"** Black Zetsu remarked. **"He was just an insect. But he was tough like a cockroach, hehahaha!"**

" **Don't make fun of Obito!"** Naruto snarled. "Obito wanted to become Hokage… to me…" his form disappeared in a flicker **"He was the coolest guy!"** he roared as cut off Kaguya's left arm at the shoulder, separating her from Black Zetsu whom he pinned to the ground with a few black rods.

In retaliation, even as a new arm was regenerating to replaced her lost one Kaguya unleashed her _**Yasogami Kūgeki (Eighty Gods Vacuum Fists)**_ at Sasuke, shattering his Susanoo and blasting him into the distance.

Taking advantage of her shifted focus, Naruto summoned eight Kage Bunshin with each of them creating a Rasenshuriken enhanced with the chakra of a different Biiju.

" _ **Senpō: Chō Bijū Rasenshuriken (Sage Art: Super Tailed Beast Spiraling Shuriken)!"**_ they called out as one before sending the bladed spheres of chakra straight at Kaguya, hitting her in full.

Unfortunately, while the damage she received was severe she was already regenerating her lost limbs until… she gasped in pain as silvery white chakra began to erupt from her into a massive form, portions of it taking the shaped of the Nine Biiju she had absorbed.

" **It can't be… mom… here!?"** Black Zetsu exclaimed in shock.

"Those are… they Biiju?" Sasuke demanded as he landed next to Naruto, and Kakashi, all of them staring at the monstrosity growing in the sky.

"Could it be… that Naruto's last Jutsu created an opening for them to escape?" Kakashi theorized even as the Sharingan he had received from Obito temporarily transmigrating into him shifted to the Mangekyo to sharpen his sight.

"Impossible." Sasuke instantly shot him down. "If it was that easy, the Sage of Six Paths would not have needed to give us his Jutsu to stop her."

"…Yeah… she might be up to something… **watch out!** " Naruto exclaimed as he saw a _**Yomotsu Hirasaka (Underworld Slope Hill)**_ rift forming before Kaguya's currently only intact hand as a bone spear protruded from her palm, ready to fire.

As it fired, Kakashi instantly turned his attention to his two male students, knowing that the attack had to be aimed at one of them as they were the only true threat to Kaguya. As he had expected, a rift opened behind Sasuke and Kakashi instantly used _**Kamui**_ on it just before the bone began to come out, sucking it away.

Unfortunately, due to the _**Kamui**_ clashing with the _**Yomotsu Hirasaka**_ a backlash of pain hit the Copy Ninja, causing his to momentarily close his eyes. But it was enough for him to miss a similar yet smaller _**Yomotsu Hirasaka**_ rift appearing behind Naruto. Unlike all those before though, this rift was not a foot or two away – it was mere inches away from Naruto's back…

"Whoa!" Naruto exclaimed as he found himself a few feet to the right of his previous position, his eyes catching the bone spear that passed through the space eh previously occupied.

"Be careful, idiot!" Sasuke barked, having just used his left eye's _**Amenotejikara (Heavenly Hand Power)**_ to save the blond from certain death.

"Thanks, Sasuke!" Naruto grinned before glaring back at Kaguya just in time to see ten white humongous chakra arms erupt from the monstrous form and head towards them all at high speeds.

Pushing Sasuke away, from the reach of the nearest chakra arm, Naruto stared fearlessly at the approaching chakra arm… and grinned when it phased through him. The smile left him when he notices the state of one of his comrades, however, Sakura appearing hopeless as a chakra arm approached her despite her efforts to get away.

" **Sasuke, use you dojutsu on Sakura-chan!"** Naruto yelled urgently.

"I can't… it's recharging!" Sasuke grunted.

A moment later, a massive _**Susanoo**_ grabbed Sakura and dodged the white chakra appendage… however, this one was silver, unlike they had seen so far.

" _ **Susanoo**_?" Sasuke stared in shock. "Who's that?"

" **Impossible!"** Black Zetsu growled, having seen who was controlling the massive chakra construct.

"Kakashi-sensei?!" Naruto blinked before narrowing his Mangekyo Sharingan eyes at him. "He has Obito's Six Paths Chakra in him."

"His chakra…" Sasuke frowned, his mind going to how Itachi had left his chakra inside him as a last attempt to kill Obito via _**Amaterasu**_.

Even as they were admiring how the two _**Kamui**_ enhanced black shuriken Kakashi's Susanoo created easily severed several of the gigantic white chakra arms, the ground shuddered and cracked as a massive torrent of chakra erupted and was drawn into the gigantic now rabbit-headed chakra monster.

"That chakra… it was from the people trapped in the Mugen Tsukuyomi!" Naruto exclaimed, worrying what had happened to the people back home.

"We have bigger things to worry about." Sasuke grimly pointed out, his attention solely on the sky.

There, the white chakra had mostly disappeared leaving behind a moon-like _**Gudōdama (Truth-Seeking Ball)**_ with a tired looking Kaguya beneath it.

"It's like the balls behind my back!" Naruto paled.

"The size is on completely different level! And it's getting bigger!" Sasuke added grimly.

"I surely can't send away something that big with Kamui…" Kakashi added.

"Maybe not on your own!" Naruto exclaimed, getting an idea. "But what if we work together?" he suggested as he created eight more clones, and all of them focused their _**Mangekyo Sharingan**_ eyes on the very center of the gigantic _**Gudōdama**_.

"…We have no other options." Kakashi agreed.

"Do it on three." Sasuke ordered as he formed his _**Susanoo**_ for Kakashi to stand on so he can focus solely on this jutsu. "One… two… **three**!"

" _ **Kamui!"**_ Kakashi, Naruto and his Kage Bunshin called out as twisting rift in space appeared onto Kaguya's _**Gudōdama**_ before growing to massive proportions, taking about a sixth of its surface as Naruto poured more and more of his Biiju and Six Paths Chakra into the jutsu.

"What?" Kaguya looked on in shock as her _**Gudōdama**_ was distorted as it was sucked into the dimensional rift. **"NO!"** she screamed in anger at the sight of the jutsu she had poured the majority of her chakra being taken away from her bit by bit by the 'chakra thieves'. Leaning forwards, dozens of bone spears protruded from her back before being launched towards her opponents.

In response, Naruto's Kage Bunshin disengaged from the collaboration jutsu one by one to block the _**Tomogoroshi no Haikotsu**_ with their own bodies, in the process slowing down Naruto's and Kakashi's progress in sending Kaguya's _**Gudōdama**_ away.

She was not the only one aiming to disrupt the collaboration _**Kamui**_ , however, as a _**Yomotsu Hirasaka**_ rift appeared a meter or so behind Naruto – the real one – and another bone spear shot straight towards his heart.

Ten seconds later, Kakashi and Naruto's combined _**Kamui**_ managed to suck away the entirety of Kaguya's _**Gudōdama**_ , however when they turned their bleeding eyed towards each other, they noticed a sight that made the brief sense of success crash and burn.

Sasuke was on being supported by Sakura behind Naruto, a _**Tomogoroshi no Haikotsu**_ impaling his gut.

"W-What?" Naruto whispered, realizing what had happened. "Why?"

"I… couldn't let the jutsu… be disrupted…" Sasuke grunted, his eyes closed in pain.

"Sasuke…" Kakashi whispered sadly as Naruto hurried to his teammate's side, quickly summoning his own _**Susanoo**_ to replace Sasuke's rapidly fading one.

"Dobe… come here…" Sasuke grunted as he reached out and grabbed Naruto's left hand with his own, immediately beginning to transfer his chakra into the blond.

"Sasuke… you…" Naruto closed his eyes in pain, lowering his head.

"It's… up to you… now… dobe." Sasuke smirked, an honest smile appearing on his face. "My clan… is waiting for me." He whispered as he crumbled into ash.

"Sa…suke." Sakura sobbed, he fists clenched onto his remains.

" **He… hehe… Kehehahahaha!"** a voice cackled in glee from the distance and they turned to see Black Zetsu protruding from the sleeve of Kaguya's severed arm. **"I did it! I did it mom! I killed one of them!"**

A moment later, Black Zetsu, the severed arm and the ground beneath the were removed from existence after Naruto had phased right above them and slammed a _**Gudōdama**_ as big as he was onto the creature, having combined his nine smaller ones.

"What?" Kaguya's eyes widened at his speed. Before he had been obscenely fast, but now… then her eyes met his and she understood.

Two _**Byakugan**_ eyes stared into two _**Rinnegan**_ eyes, each purplish grey eye bearing three tomoe on the two innermost rings.

"Indra's Transmigrant left you his power as well." Kaguya scowled as her _**Byakugan**_ saw the black moon seal on Naruto's left palm.

"I'm ending this now." Naruto growled, tears of blood pouring from his eyes.

As Kaguya had used up the majority of her chakra to created her _**Bōchō Gudōdama (Expansive Truth-Seeking Ball)**_ , the following exchange of blows was far more even than anything before and Kaguya was forced to retreat several times to different dimensions to dodge Naruto's attacks, while Naruto could now use not only the _**Kamui**_ to let her attacks phase through, but also completely dodge them using the _**Amenotejikara**_.

It also became apparent that Kaguya was able to use the Six Paths of the _**Rinnegan**_ as well as the copying powers of the _**Sharingan**_ through her _**Rinne-Sharingan**_ , as she began to summon creatures to aid her and even began distracting Naruto with _**Kage Bunshin**_ of her own.

Eventually though, after forcing Naruto to use both _**Kamui**_ and _**Amenotejikara**_ in quick succession, she managed to distract Naruto with a Kage Bunshin in front of him in the distance while emerging from a _**Yomotsu Hirasaka**_ and grabbing onto him from behind, immediately beginning to drain on his chakra to replace her own diminished reserves, the high-speed battle having prevented her from tapping into the chakra of those trapped in the _**Mugen Tsukuyomi**_ once more.

Realizing what she was doing, Naruto tried to use _**Kamui**_ to phase away however her draining was preventing the jutsu from working properly. Desperately, he also tried to use the _**Amenotejikara**_ with his other eye, hoping to get away…

And then Kakashi's own _**Kamui**_ entered the mix, focused onto Kaguya's _**Yomotsu Hirasaka**_ in an attempt to close it and cut the woman in half.

On the one hand, it worked.

On the other hand, mixing the _**Kamui**_ , _**Yomotsu Hirasaka**_ and _**Amenotejikara**_ in the same space as Kaguya and Naruto's chakra, not to mention that of the Biiju, were connected, seemed to be a bad idea as in an unstable vortex of colors both Kaguya and Naruto disappeared from Kaguya's core dimension…

 _Flashback end_

Which leads to the current situation, with Naruto and the bisected Kaguya swirling together through the unstable mix of space-time jutsu.

Before the blond could do anything more, however, the two of them fell through a tear in space onto a frozen ground, their bodies aching from the force of the impact though their respective regenerative powers were already fixing their shattered bones and teared muscles.

Feeling a spike of malicious intent, Naruto's eyes darted towards Kaguya who was a few feet away and had her left palm – her only remaining arm – pointed towards him, a bone spear slowly emerging from her skin.

Turning his eyes to meet her own manic ones, Naruto knew that he could not move in time to dodge that and at the same time his eyes were pulsing in pain telling him they could not handle another use so soon.

Then the _**Tomogoroshi no Haikotsu**_ was fired and Naruto's left eye exploded as he forced the use of the _**Amenotejikara**_. As such, he did not see that unlike his intention of teleporting himself away, the jutsu had targeted the very bone spear that was about to impale him, teleporting it right behind Kaguya's head, it's momentum causing it to piece through her skull and exit through her third eye, her _**Rinne-Sharingan**_.

As she broke apart into ash, Kaguya's final emotion was one of sheer disbelief at his sheer dumb luck, as nothing else could had allowed him to target her _**Tomogoroshi no Haikotsu**_ , otherwise he would have done it much earlier.

On his part, Naruto did not notice any of that. What he did notice was how seconds after his eye burst all his senses blanked out before he found himself in an entirely white space, laying on his back and gazing into white mists.

"Ano… this is a difficult choice, you know." a young female voice that held great hidden power spoke from somewhere above and behind him. "Both you and her are not of this world… yet you are human and she was without a doubt a Goddess – a Primordial Goddess no less." The girl mused as the mists began to clear allowing him to see her, leaning over him, with violet hair held in two ponytails and green eyes, though her pointed ears made him blink.

He tried to speak, but he found himself unable to.

"And when you entered this world you definitely fell under my authority… though you were actually in the Netherworld at the time…" he muttered, her face scrunched cutely in thought. "Still, there were Kings who have slayed Heretic Gods in the Netherworld before… and she was without a doubt Heretic… and while you may have used the portion of her power within you to do it, that is nothing new either…" she seemed to reach a decision. "Yes, you definitely meet the requirements."

"Who are you?" Naruto blurted out as he finally regained the ability to speak.

"I am Pandora, the All-Knowing and All-Giving woman." The girl smiled. "But you can call me Mommy!" she cheered.

"Mom?" Naruto blinked.

"Yep!" Pandora grinned.

"Er… you're not my mom." Naruto blinked again. "Mom had red hair… and purple eyes… and was older… and had a bigger rac…"

 **SMACK!**

"As I was saying, I am your new adoptive mother, the Goddess Pandora." The girl continued as if she had not left a stinging hand print on Naruto's face. "The reason why adopted you is because you killed a Heretic Goddess, and thus through the Ritual I and my former husband Epimetheus created you are about to become a Campione!"

"Campione?" Naruto tilted his head. "What's that?"

"A God-Slayer." Pandora explained. "By killing a Heretic God, a human ascends to being a Campione, gaining a portion of the slain god's powers for themselves… well, normally, anyway." She muttered.

"Normally?" Naruto frowned before his eyes widened as his brain finally caught up with what they were talking about. "Wait, Kaguya is dead?"

"Yes, you managed to turn her own bone attack against her." Pandora replied. "And herein lies the issue. You see, normally, when a Heretic God dies they return to their Myth taking most of their power with them and leaving only a small potion and an Authority or two behind, enough for me to use in my ritual and arm my children. But this Kaguya is not of this world, so she has no myth to return to. Actually…" she frowned "The Realm of Immortality does not even exist in your world, as other than the Shinigami Kaguya is the only other who had taken the power of the world upon themselves, and she took all that existed at the time, the whole Shinju."

"So… what does that mean?" Naruto asked, having understood maybe two thirds of what she just said.

"It means that Kaguya Otsutsuki is gone for good, and all her power was left behind. And that power can only go to one person, you." Pandora replied easily. "Normally, even attempting to force that much power into a human, even a Campione, would make them explode…" here Naruto paled "But thankfully both your energy and your body are similar enough to hers that I can adapt it further to hold the power… though it will cost a good chunk of it. All in all, you will have around half or her power, I suppose."

"That's… amazing." Naruto blinked.

"I managed to shape her power into one Authority with Ten branches. Let's call it Tails of the Shinju, okay?" Pandora suggested as she played with a golden and silver orb in her hands.

"Er, okay." Naruto blinked before his eyes widened. "Hey, what happened to the Biiju? And do you know how I can get home? You said earlier that this is a different world…"

"I'm afraid that the Biiju as you knew them are gone." Pandora shook her head. "They were after all a part of Kaguya's power, so it is only natural for them to be changed when I altered her powers to fit you. They still exist, now as Divine Beasts, within you however should you die they will disperse into energy and disappear for good. There was no other way."

"Oh." Naruto frowned. On one hand, he was glad the Biiju, Kurama in particular, were not gone completely, but on the other hand it was now impossible to free them as he had previously wanted."

"As for returning home… I know they way, but I will not tell you, at least not yet." Pandora frowned.

"What?! Why?" Naruto demanded angrily.

"Because the knowledge will be useless to you right now." Pandora said sadly. "You do not possess the power to return, even should you mix the techniques that brought you here it is unlikely you will be able to return home… or that you will survive the trip. It was only your and Kaguya's powers mixing together that allowed you to live the first time. There will be no second time."

"But… I _have_ to return home!" Naruto said desperately. "Everyone is counting on me! They're still trapped in the _**Mugen Tsukuyomi**_ and…"

"That is not the case, young Naruto." A familiar old voice was heard as a translucent Sage of Six Paths appeared before them.

"Old Man Sage!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Hoh, impressive. None have managed to reach her without my invitation." Pandora remarked.

"It is only because most of my power is within Naruto, though soon it will be his alone." Hagoromo replied. "And I am not truly here."

"Old Man, what are you doing here?" Naruto asked curiously.

"I saw the _**Mugen Tsukuyomi**_ break, yet I knew you had not used the Seal." Hagoromo explained. "I and the former Kage whom I had summoned from the Pure World were prepared to summon you, your friends and the Biiju back once the battle was over… but when we tried only Kakashi Hatake and Sakura Haruno returned. You were… simply too far away." He shook his head. "I managed to use all our remaining power to send this projection to you, though it has been… difficult."

"Old Man Sage… the Biiju…" Naruto began sadly.

"I have heard everything; I know what has happened." Hagoromo nodded sadly. "It is sad, but I have lost both my first sons before. And the Biiju still exist, even if they are now completely bound to you. Look after them, please."

"I will, that's a promise." Naruto nodded firmly. "But about going back…"

"As you are now, it is impossible. But with time, you may manage it." Hagoromo stated. "I can feel it in you, your life will span centuries, perhaps even millennia. You have plenty of time to find a way, so do not rush."

"But… but everyone will be gone by then!" Naruto exclaimed with grief.

"Not quite." Pandora smiled. "Many things are different between our world, including how time passes. That I why so many Gods have evolved here while your world had only two. While a hundred years may pass here, only one year would pass in your world. So do not rush, my son, you have plenty of time. Rather, you should try and enjoy life a bit in this world. You are a Campione now, a King of Kings, you have the opportunity to have a bit of a normal life for one… well, as normal it can be for a Campione, anyway." She said sheepishly.

"Indeed. Your live has been harder than most, young Naruto." The Sage agreed. "While I'm sure you wish to return home and become Hokage, there is nothing wrong in living a bit especially now after going through a war. And you can use this time to master what you should have as a ninja by now."

"Er, what do you mean?" Naruto frowned.

"I have seen all your memories Naruto; do you think I have not noticed how much your growth has been stunted?" Hagoromo admonished. "The Ninja Academy kept kicking you out whenever anything of worth was taught or you skipped class on your own, your Jonin Sensei Kakashi taught you noting other than Tree Climbing and Wind Element Composition, your Godfather Jiraiya taught you Summoning, the _**Rasengan**_ and helped you create you _**Odama Rasengan**_ which is pitiful considering you were with him for three years." The Sage of Six Paths shook his head in disappointment. "It is truly a testament of your determination and willingness to forge on that you have gotten as strong as you are with such little proper instruction. That you manage to instinctively create a new seal to hold Kurama after defeating him shows plenty of your potential in Fuinjutsu alone."

"Well, I'm like Bushy-Brows, I like to work hard." Naruto said sheepishly as he looked away in embarrassment, unused to being praised for his skill.

"I have one final gift for you, Naruto, something the former Hokage put together in case I would be unable to bring you back even if I found you, just before they returned to the Pure World." Hagoromo stated as he pokes Naruto's forehead. "Knowledge of Fuinjutsu and Hiraishin from your father Minato, Knowledge of all Basic Elemental Compositions from Hiruzen, Knowledge of academics and Space-Time jutsu from Tobirama, and Knowledge of Mokuton and Senjutsu from Hashirama. Note that none of this you can go straight ahead and apply. You will need to train and master each, starting from scratch in most cases. Do you think you can handle it, Naruto?"

"You bet I do!" the blond grinned.

"Good to hear, after all in this world countless Heretic Gods will want nothing more than to kill you simply for being a Campione, and many of them are in some ways just as dangerous as Kaguya, if not more so." Pandora added, causing the whiskered shinobi to pale.

"It seems it is time for me to go." Hagoromo smiled. "Do you have a message for those back home that you want me to carry?"

"Yeah… tell Kakashi-sensei to keep the Hokage Hat warm for me! I'll be back to take it I ten years, tops! And tell Granny Tsunade and Sakura-chan that I'm fine and I'll come home as soon as I can." Naruto grinned.

"That reminds me, I have one message from your father." The Sage smiled gently.

"Eh, what is it?" Naruto leaned forward curiously.

"Happy seventeenth birthday." Hagoromo smiled.

"Oh… I guess I am seventeen now." Naruto blinked unsurely.

"Goodbye Naruto, thank you for saving our world… and good luck." were the Sage's last words as he faded away.

"It is time to send you away as well, to your new world." Pandora spoke up. "Look after yourself, okay?"

"Sure." Naruto grinned.

" _ **Let everyone present grant their blessing and their hatred to this child!"**_ the Goddess chanted. _**"The Seventh Campione, possessing the destiny of the most unpredictable of devil kings, please bestow the sacred spell words upon this child! By the black art that I and Epimetheus left behind, this is the sacred birth of an illegitimate child, shrouded in darkness, born of a fool and a witch. A secret of usurpation only made possible through the sacrifice of a god. I, the All-Giving Woman Pandora, declare that you shall be reborn as a Campione. The Godslayer, the King of Kings, the Campione."**_ She finished as she leaned down and placed a kiss on his forehead while at the same time pressing the gold and silver ball of power she had been shaping onto and into his chest, just as the world around him faded to white.

As he awoke, Naruto found himself staring at the cloudy night sky as he lay onto a bench in a park, feeling better than ever despite the chill that would have made normal humans shiver. Getting up, he began looking around and taking in his new – temporary! – home.

Unknown to him, he was Tokyo, Japan, and the date was January 10th.

 **A.N.: Yes, I did just start another story. I simply could not get this Plot Bunny out of my head and just had to write it down as there are far too few Campione stories and even fewer crossovers with Naruto.**

 **I will warn you though that this story is not a priority to me, and I will only be updating it every once in a while, when I'm having a block on my other stories or in the unlikely occasions that I have more free time on my hands than I know what to do with.**

 **Regarding the [Tails of the Shinju] Authority, it's one big Authority that is made of ten incarnations, like Verethragna's. Mostly, it will be powers that Naruto already had due to having portions of the Nine Biiju in him, so don't think I'm overpowering him beyond acceptable limits. The only true new powers will be those he got from Kaguya, [Eyes of the Kaguya] which grants him the use of the Byakugan and Rinne-Sharingan through which he can use some of her Kekkei Mora, namely** _ **Mugen Tsukutomi**_ **,** _ **Shin:Jukai Kotan**_ **and** _ **Amenominaka.**_ **There will be several limitations and conditions however.**

 **I don't know when the next chapter will be posted, but I will be sometime this spring.**


	2. Chapter 2

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own Naruto or Campione. Naruto is the property of Masashi Kishimoto and Campione is the property of Takedzuki Jou.

 _Italics text = character thinking to themselves._

 _Underline+Italics = character communicating with telepathy_

 **Bold text = shouting**

 _ **Bold+Italcs = Casting Spell/Ability**_

 **Chapter Two**

 **The Victorious and the Unpredictable**

Naruto Uzumaki was not a bad person. He like to think he was actually a nice person despite his occupation as a ninja.

He was not perfect however, and despite actively trying to NOT walk the 'Path of the Avenger' considering what had turned Sasuke into, he could still hold a grudge. Like the one he was currently fostering for Pandora, his new adoptive mother.

It had taken him a couple months, but he had managed to figure out what this [Tails of the Shinju] Authority of his could and could not do, and it had eventually become apparent that the _**Yomotsu Hirasaka**_ , Kaguya Ōtsutsuki's trademark space-time jutsu, was NOT among the powers he had gained.

Considering that the vastly more powerful _**Amenominaka**_ WAS his to use, even with restrictions, it was clear that Pandora had intentionally not let him have it… and it was also clear why, truth be told.

After all, the first thing he had done upon waking up after meeting Pandora and becoming a Campione was to attempt to combine his space-time jutsu to get home despite Pandora's strongly worded warning that he would fail badly. It had not worked, merely getting him rather violently in the dimension he had been gifted with by Obito along with his eyes. It took him a while to go through what he remembered of the event and he had concluded that it had to be due to the combination of Kaguya's _**Yomotsu Hirasaka**_ and his _**Kamui**_ and _**Amenotejikara**_ … and he lacked Kaguya's jutsu.

Obviously, Pandora had predicted his actions and taken measures to prevent his reckless untimely death. All-Knowing indeed.

Of course, Naruto being Naruto, he had not given up and fully intended to recreate her jutsu. His Sharingan may not have been able to copy it, clearly being a Kekkei Genkai or even more advanced like the old man Tsuchikage's Dust Release, but he has seen it with his Rinnegan also and had a tentative understanding of how it worked. It would take him a while – read years – but he would make the _ **Yomotsu Hirasaka**_ his own if it was the last thing he did!

Speaking of his Sharingan and Rinnegan, the eyes given to him by Obito and the power given by Sasuke had been fully integrated into him by his transformation into a Campione to the point that the eyes were his usual blue even when they were inactive.

In fact, his entire body had been changed. His body had always been superior to nearly any other in the Elemental Nations. His bones were denser, his muscles were stronger and more compact, his stamina the stuff of legends… once it was pointed out to him some time after becoming a ninja, he had thought both that and his obscenely large chakra reserves were due to being the Kyubi Jinchuriki.

In part, it was true. But, as he discovered from his mother's chakra imprint, his Uzumaki heritage and being the son of a Kyubi Jinchuriki were another important factor. The last piece of the puzzle had been given to him by the Sage of Six Paths in the form of his identity as Asura's Transmigrant… now _Last_ Transmigrant as during his transformation all chakra within him had been consumed and made his own entirely. As such, he was also Indra's Last Transmigrant due to Sasuke transferring all his chakra to him before his death, ensuring Indra's chakra would not be sent back into the Cycle of Reincarnation.

But despite how amazing his body had been and how powerful his regeneration, his body had not been perfect. He still had some scars, most notably the one on his chest from the last _**Chidori**_ Sasuke had scored on him when he had abandoned Konoha.

Now though, all flaws had been removed, his body improved in quality even beyond what it had been to a noticeable degree, and his chakra levels had shot through the roof. Before, once he had unlocked Asura's chakra, he had reserves on par or even slightly above Kurama's in his complete form. That had doubled with the introduction of Sasuke and Indra's chakra as well as the Yin and Yang Six Paths Power he never got to use. Now though, he could confidently say he had about as much chakra as Kaguya did once she had made her appearance by taking over Madara's body, which was likely two thirds of her full power due to missing Yin Kurama… just as Pandora had told him.

"Now that I think about it, I wonder what happened to Madara." Naruto muttered to himself as he paused in trying to make heads of the directions he had been given by the old man _. "Did his soul go to the afterlife of my world or this one? Hm, I guess it would depend on if he died when Kaguya took over or when I killed her."_ he decided.

Shaking his head, he focused once more on the task at hand, namely delivering a hunk of rock to an old lady… well, a hunk of magic rock to an old witch to be more precise.

It had all started a couple days after he had moved into his new apartment which was about a week after arriving in this world. It had taken him about a week to get himself brought up to date with the civilization of this world – nothing some liberal use of Human Path of the Rinnegan couldn't handle – and gather some resources – wasn't the Sharingan just wonderful at making people seeing things your way? Like acquiring a ton of cash by bankrupting a few yakuza groups and creating some convincing fake documents for himself – after which he had gone and bought an apartment for himself, it had not been anything excessive despite his newly acquired wealth, his old apartment had been big enough for him and this new one was larger by just one room.

However, unlike in Konoha where he had been the sole occupant of the entire building due to the villagers not wanting to live near the 'Kyubi Brat', here he had neighbors. And chief among them were the Kusanagi family, composed of old man Ichirou and his two grandchildren Godou and Shizuka. Godou was sixteen while Shizuka was a year younger. He had tried not to pry regarding why the two were living with Ichirou rather than their parents, however when Naruto had openly admitted to having been an orphan since the day he was born Godou had also revealed that Mayo and Genzou Kusanagi had divorced several years ago and that in his honest and unbiased opinion Genzou was a worthless human being.

That being said, he had hit it off quite well with them and spent quite a bit of his free time hanging out with Shizuka, Godou or even Ichirou once he had let it slip to the man that he was the one who had published the first **Icha Icha** book that was being such a hit after Naruto had republished it along **Tales of a Gutsy Ninja** … somehow, Naruto felt he should not have been surprised that Ichirou was a pervert, not with his playboy reputation even at his age.

During his time spent with them, Naruto had also discretely healed Godou's shoulder of the damage that was preventing him from continuing to pursue a career in baseball… well, he had tried to be discreet, at least. Unfortunately for him, Ichirou had seen the golden glow of his right hand and had confronted him in private sometime later.

It had only been due to Ichirou mentioning some things that alluded to some knowledge of the supernatural in the same sentence as mentioning what he had seen Naruto do, otherwise the blond would have used a Sharingan genjutsu to make him forget. As such, Naruto had instead gone and tried to milk all he knew… which was not much at all.

Apparently, not only was Ichirou not a practitioner but he also knew just one person who was, an old flame of his from his youth, one Lucretia Zola from Italy. By a lucky coincidence, she had recently contacted him requesting a certain tablet that she had left in his care the last time they had seen each-other.

Initially, Ichirou had been planning on sending Godou to deliver it and in the process grant him a vacation in Italy as consolation to not being able to continue a career in sports. Now though, with his _miraculous_ recovery, most of Godou's break would be spent at a baseball camp that served as preparation for the sports-orientated school he was now able to attend. Of course, Ichirou would normally not mind going to see his old friend himself, but he had prior arrangements… and Shizuka was practically breathing flames in his into the back of his neck when she heard about this new evidence of his playboy ways.

So he delegated the duty of returning the stone tablet to Naruto…

"You have no idea where we're going, do you?" the green eyed girl with brown hair held in pink hairbands asked dryly.

…well, him and Shizuka who had not only been suspicions of Godou's miraculous recovery right after Naruto had offered to rub her brother's shoulders to lessen his discomfort, but had also eavesdropped on Ichirou confronting Naruto. The blond had been tempted to genjutsu her to forget about it, not wanting to get her involved, but decided against it since he did not want to upset Ichirou… plus, he was not that eager to mess with Shizuka's mind considering she was becoming a good friend. It had not been hard for her to convince her grandfather to let her go with Naruto to meet Lucretia Zola. After all, she was a friend so what was the worst thing that could happen?

"We just left the airport, Shizuka." Naruto grumbled. "Give me a minute and I'll figure this out."

"…Right." Shizuka openly rolled her eyes in disbelief.

"Still, I wonder what this thing can do." Naruto spoke up as he pulled the stone tablet from his backpack and looked at it intently. "It has quite a bit of power to it, though it's entirely dormant. Must be why that woman left it to Ichirou-ojisan, it was harmless to him."

"Yeah, but what…?" Shizuka began only to pause as a beautiful blue eyed blonde around Naruto's age wearing a red dress that showed her glamorous forms stepped into their path and pointed a knife at them.

"Ti laggiù!" the blonde called out, glaring at Naruto.

"Come again?" the whiskered blond blinked.

"Passare su quella libretto diabolica subito!" the girl in red said insistently.

"I don't suppose you know Italian, Shizuka-chan?" Naruto glanced at his companion.

"Not at all." Shizuka scowled.

"…Do you not speak Italian?" the blonde girl spoke again, this time in an impressively fluent Japanese.

"No, we don't." Naruto shrugged.

"In that case I'll say it again in Japanese: Hand over that Grimoire immediately." The blonde said insistently.

"Grimoire?" Naruto tilted his head questionably as he continued playing dumb, glancing at the stone tablet in his hands.

"I am a knight if the Copper Black Cross. Did you think I would not know?" she demanded.

"You mean this?" Naruto indicate the tablet in his hand. "Sorry, I can't give it to you. I was asked to deliver it to someone called…"

"Hurry up!" she demanded as with a jump she landed behind him and pointed the knife towards his neck.

"Are you mugging me?" Naruto asked incredulously, knowing that he could just phase through her knife if needed.

"M-Mugging?" she spluttered. "How rude! What are yo-?" she began to demand only for a loud, echoing roar to resound throughout the city, cutting her off.

Moments later, a veil seemed to have fallen over the world, leaving only himself, Shizuka and the blonde in red appearing the same, everyone else being reduced almost to shades of grey.

" _Could this be one of those Gods Pandora mentioned?"_ Naruto wondered.

"It can't be!" the blonde gasped.

"What…?" Naruto began only to pause. "Well fuck."

Several blocks away, rising from behind the buildings was a humongous black boar surrounded in an orange tinted divine aura.

"A God. A Heretic God!" the blonde girl declared grimly.

"Heretic God?" Naruto repeated in fake confusion. "What do you mean by…?"

"You should run!" the girl practically commanded him before running off towards the black Boar, jumping onto the room of a red car as it passed by, apparently knowing the driver if the lack of complaint at her actions meant anything.

" _Oh boy, what now?"_ Naruto grumbled. _"On one hand, I want to fight a Heretic God and see how powerful they are. On the other hand, I don't want to reveal myself when that Boar could be a mere monster some guy summoned. Plus, I need to protect Shizuka."_ He glanced at the girl who was shivering somewhat as she stared at the black boar. "Shizuka, I'll go see what this is about. Please stay with my clone until I come get you, okay?" he told her as he created a Kage Bunshin.

"Er… okay. But don't do anything stupid, mister!" Shizuka told him as she put up a strong front though he could see it in her eyes how unsettled she was.

Another few seconds and he began running after the blonde girl at a faster then human speed, but still refraining from enhancing his body with any chakra. _"Geh, she's going to get killed by that thing and I'll probably feel guilty about it! Troublesome woman!"_ he sighed in exasperation as he momentarily closed his eyes only to snap them open when the ground beneath him suddenly shook, making him almost trip but also making him let the tablet slip from his grip, sending it sliding across the ground.

"Damn." He swore, though not that worried about the Grimoire – things don't last for thousands of years if they're that fragile, and with the power it was imbibed with, that tablet could survive a hit from a Rasengan without a scratch.

But such things slipped his mind when a slender hand grabbed the tablet and lifted it from the ground.

Around fourteen or fifteen years in age, with jet black hair to his shoulders, skin the color of ivory, and most important of all, he was extremely handsome – ethereally so.

Naruto could not help but feel slightly drawn to him. There was a kind of androgyny to his facial features, and even among celebrities, Naruto has never seen a handsome youth quite like the one before him.

Suddenly, the youth's gaze began to shift. As if noticing Naruto staring at him, he also looked straight back. And then he smiled.

It was very common for Europeans and Americans to greet others with a smile the first time they meet someone and exchange glances, so Naruto presumed the youth was saying hello to him, though he could not understand the words he spoke.

"I don't suppose you speak Japanese, do you?" Naruto scratched the back of his head sheepishly.

"Oh, my apologies, then I shall use thy way of speaking." The youth spoke after a few moments of consideration. "I asked if this belongs to you." He indicated the Grimoire in his hand.

"Yeah." Naruto nodded. _"For now at least."_ "You should probably get out of here, there's some huge monster Boar running around."

"Heh, this is funny." The youth chuckled.

"Funny?" Naruto repeated. "Actually, who are you?" he asked with a frown.

"I am the Victor." came the reply with a confident smile. "I am the strongest and that which defeat every enemy."

"Victor, huh?" Naruto raised in eyebrow.

"Though I don't think it's necessarily bad to have a taste a defeat." He admitted. "I tried reviving the king of the ancient gods, in order to fight them, but I have yet to be defeated." He shrugged in somewhat disappointment.

"I suppose it would be a rather boring existence, one without challenges." Naruto agreed before his eyes darted upward when a shadow passed over, instantly recognizing it as the blonde girl he met earlier. "Hey!" he called after her, but she either did not hear or did not care.

"Are you here to chase after that witch?" the youth asked curiously.

"Not quite… a friend of mine asked me to deliver that tablet." Naruto replied, expertly hiding his anxiousness to run after that reckless girl.

"This?" the youth eyed the tablet curiously before he began to laugh loudly. "How nice, how nice! It seems you are a good kid, a good warrior! This thief has told me so!"

"I take offense to being called a kid, you know." Naruto shot back but his amusement faded when he heard that girl screaming.

"Are you going, warrior?" the youth asked.

"Yep, sorry to cut our chat short." Naruto apologized. "Can I have that back?"

"Very well." The youth smiled after a moment of consideration. "I shall let you hold onto it."

"Hold onto…?" Naruto began as the tablet was placed in his waiting hand, only to pause at the divine presence from his side. Glancing in that direction, he saw a White Stallion which suddenly glowed along with the Grimoire, before turning into brilliant flames that were sucked into the tablet. "Did he… seal that horse in here?" he asked in surprise.

Leaving that aside, Naruto hurried towards the location of the battle. When he arrived at the scene, he was just in time to see the girl get blasted away from the Boar… and straight towards a ripped metal fence that had numerous spikes.

"Shit!" he swore and with a _**Shunshin**_ he caught her in midair and with another landed on the roof of a building. "You okay?"

"You're…!" she began in surprise, only for their attention to be caught by the wind coming from the twister that appeared around the Boar.

Moments later, there was a flash of light and both the tornado and the Boar within it were gone, as was the veil of divine power in the area.

" _It's gone. Damn it."_ Naruto scowled.

"You may put me down now." The blonde girl spoke, drawing his attention towards her… and right into her cleavage.

Averting his eyes towards her face, he nodded and gently placed her on her feet.

"I suppose you may want some explanations." The girl remarked.

"I would, and you can start with your name. I can't just keep calling you 'beautiful blonde', now can I?" Naruto joked.

"I most certainly would not mind." She grinned. "However you are correct, I did not give you my name even though you gave me yours. I am Erica Blandelli, Great Knight of the Copper Black Cross."

"I got that last part earlier." Naruto nodded. "Though I have no idea what that means. I'm Naruto Uzumaki. Before I ask any questions though, I need to find Shizuka. I figure she would want some answers as well."

"Those involved in the supernatural are supposed to keep it secret from those who cannot even perceive it." Erica admonished.

"I don't know about any of that, but Shizuka could see that Boar just fine, you know?" Naruto shot back.

"Oh, if that's the case I suppose it would best to at least explain to her enough to keep her out of trouble." The Italian blonde agreed.

With Naruto sensing his clone, he knew exactly where to go so they found Shizuka in no time at all, after which they headed towards the train station where Erica explained the situation.

"So, in conclusion, that thing, the Boar, was a divine beast, a servant of a Heretic God?" Shizuka remarked questionably.

"Indeed, though considering how powerful it was it could have very well been a Heretic God itself." Erica admitted.

"So why are you here for? Are you trying to kill the Heretic God?" Naruto tilted his head.

"Kill the Heretic God!?" Erica looked at him like he was an idiot. "Me, a mere mortal, kill a God? I wish things were so easy." She shook her head. "No, Campione, that is God-Slayers, are incredibly rare. That are currently six of them alive in the world, and that's considered a big number. Me, I'm just here to investigate these disasters and try to keep the casualties to a minimum." She admitted.

"And erase memories of the witnesses as well, I suppose." Shizuka remarked.

"Oh, that is rarely necessary. Both Heretic Gods and Divine Beasts radiate a divine aura that makes them invisible to normal people. Rather, they instead see natural disasters like tornados and the like." Erica shrugged.

"I see… still, how long is that train going to be late?" Shizuka scowled as she glared at her watch.

"Oh, I doubt it's coming at all, what with what happened in the city." Erica shrugged.

"And you tell us NOW?" Naruto groaned. "We could have already left if we took a bus or something!"

"True, but that would have deprived me of the chance to question you." Erica smirked. "You have not told me why you have that Grimoire or if you are involved in this incident. Don't think I'll let you get away that easily."

"Hey, we had just off the plane when we met you!" Shizuka exclaimed.

"True, we just got here." Naruto agreed with a frown. "We're supposed to deliver that stone tablet to an old friend of Shizuka's grandfather, a witch called Lucretia Zola."

"Lucretia Zola? As in the Highest Ranked Witch on the Earth?" Erica's eyes widened in surprise.

"Probably." Shizuka shrugged. "That tablet is hers. She left it to grandpa a few decades ago after she used it to get rid of some evil spirit. That's what grandpa told us."

"Hm, if that's the case I will accompany you to meet Lucretia. Someone of her power is certain to have more information about the recent incidents." Erica decided as she stood up. "Naruto, be a dear and bring my luggage, will you?" she gave him a sweet smile.

"Oi, oi!" Naruto protested.

"And I'll have my maid drive us to Lucretia's house." Erica cut off his complaint.

"…Che, fine." Naruto pouted.

"Naruto, stop pouting or your face will get stuck like that." Shizuka admonished. "Now be a gentleman and carry out luggage!" she declared as she dropped her backpack in his lap as well before hurrying after Erica.

" _Geh, what will it take for me to get some respect around here?"_ Naruto mentally groaned before standing up and beginning to pull Erica's suitcase after him.

" _ **Kill a god? Wait, you already did that and you're in this situation. Guess you're stuck to being bossed around by women."**_ a familiar voice snarked.

" _Fuck you too, Kurama."_ Naruto shot back.

He had been more than a little surprised that the fox still existed within him rather than being converted fully into his Authority. Of course, despite his tentative survival, Kurama had not escaped unchanged. He was reduced to little more than a chakra parasite, his continued existence entirely dependent on Naruto allowing him to drain on his chakra.

They were unsure how the Biiju had survived, considering that Pandora had outright told him that the Biiju both within Kaguya and sealed inside him would be converted into his Authority. The best that they could figure out, it was due to Naruto being the son of the previous Kyubi Jinchuriki and thus a small part of Kurama's chakra had been literaly part of him since birth, thus when he was reborn as a Campione it remained so.

As things were, Kurama _could_ return to his full power if Naruto was willing to provide him with the necessary amount of chakra – and the blond God-Slayer was perfectly willing to do so, though so far they had refrained from it. After all, not only was the supernatural kept secret in this world, but also it would draw unwanted attention to the fox from the organizations that knew about the supernatural and more than likely the other Campione. After all, while he had found little evidence of the supernatural so far, the fact remained that Pandora had named him the Seventh Campione, thus it stood to reason there were six more, whom would likely not ignore the sudden appearance of a giant nine tailed fox in Tokyo and would likely take Kurama for a Heretic God or something.

As such, Kurama had spent most of his time either inside Naruto or in small versions of his old body that Naruto created by infusing the fox's consciousness with his potent chakra. He was exactly happy of being forced to be a chibi, but then again it beat being stuck in a sewer, and it could be considered heaven when compared to being crucified on a floating rock like Kushina had kept him.

Currently though, he was residing inside Naruto and taking the opportunity to impart some of his… wisdom.

" _ **Not that it's something new for you, after all you did spend half your life being smacked around by that pink haired girl."**_ Kurama continued, ignoring the insult. _**"Though I have to admit, at least your current company actually can be called girls, unlike that flat-chested brat."**_

" _Oi, Sakura-chan was just slender and…"_ Naruto began to protest.

" _ **That mind-walker friend of her was also slender, but she wasn't a walking stick."**_ Kurama snorted. _**"Why couldn't you get a crush on her, she was actually attractive even when you were still in the Academy. Hell, she already had tits back then, unlike the Pink Stick…"**_ here he paused thoughtfully _**"Hm, Pink Stick... yeah, that's a good name for her. I'll call her that from now on!"**_

" _Don't you dare!"_ Naruto mentally screeched.

" _ **Watch your step."**_ Kurama replied smugly.

" _Wha…?"_ a moment later he walked straight into a street light, breaking his nose. "Fuck!" he groaned as he reached and set his nose back into place with a snap before channelling some chakra to heal it.

"Naruto… you're thinking something perverted, aren't you?!" Shizuka pointed an accusing finger at him a minute later when he caught up with the two girls.

"What? No!" the whiskered blond exclaimed.

"Liar, you even got a nosebleed!" she cried out. **"Naruto no baka!"**

" **Damn it! Give me a break!"** Naruto groaned.

 _Timeskip – next day, afternoon_

"Oh, solid ground, how I've missed you!" Naruto cried out as he stood spread-eagle on the ground since he had leaped out of Erica's car.

"Come on, don't be overdramatic." Erica said with a hint of her own nervousness leaking from behind her confident façade.

"Never again will I leave you, never again!" a green-faced Shizuka collapsed on her hands and knees as soon as she staggered out of the car.

"…" Erica eyed them before sighing, conceding that they had a point. Ariana's driving was insane. She may have never had an accident, but she still drove on the streets like F1 racers.

Before she could comment further, her eyes snapped upwards to a black cat that was walking along the wall that surrounded Lucretia's house. She also noticed that Naruto had snapped to attention as well, but decided to question him later. She had more important things to worry about now.

"We are here to meet Lucretia Zola." She spoke clearly to the cat which she assumed was a familiar to the Witch of Sardinia.

The cat stared at her for a few seconds before turning towards Shizuka and then finally Naruto at whom it stopped and stared for a good minute before turning and leaping down beyond the wall as the gates unlocked and opened by magic.

"I guess that means we can go in, right?" Naruto mused before heading inside, Erica and Shizuka on his heels while Ariana, Erica's maid, remained in the car for now.

Following the black cat into the house, they were soon led to a sitting room where beautiful brown haired purple eyed woman was lounging on a sofa… wearing only some risqué lingerie. She appeared to be in her late twenties, making Naruto wonder if she was Lucretia's granddaughter or something.

"Ah young man, have you been entranced by me? Is there a problem? Hohoho, perhaps this appearance might be too stimulating for the young ones. Something troublesome happened lately, so I've been unable to get up from bed... Besides, you must be very happy inside? Men are always like that." The woman teased.

"Ano… are you Lucretia-san?" Shizuka spoke up suspiciously.

"Ah, yes. You are Shizuka Kusanagi, right? Ichirou already sent me a letter explaining everything and letting his granddaughter to come in his place, so I've been waiting for you." The now identified Lucretia Zola gave the girl a small smile before her eyes returned to Naruto "And you must be Naruto Uzumaki, right?" she inquired and received a dumbfolded nod from him "Ichirou told me you're interested in the supernatural and requested I explain some things to you… though I admit I never expected you to be that troublesome person." She chuckled before her eyes moved the third member of the small group. "By the way, girl, who are you? You don't look Japanese."

"Erica Blandelli. Great Knight of the Copper Black Cross. Due to various reasons, I am currently travelling with them." The Italian blonde replied.

"Sir Paolo's niece eh, I've heard rumors. So it looks like you've come to this countryside because of that Heretic God, what strong initiative." Lucretia mused.

"That aside, what did you mean when you called Naruto here a troublesome person?" Erica asked suspiciously. "Is he actually involved in the current incident with the Heretic God?

"Oh, not at all." Lucretia smiled. "I'm just surprised that the person Ichirou sent to deliver the [Secret Tome of Prometheus] was the mysterious Seventh Campione of all people."

There was an oppressive silence as Erica slowly turned to stare at Naruto while both he and Shizuka stared at Lucretia in surprise, though for different reasons.

"What's a Campione?" Shizuka asked curiously.

"A God Slayer." Naruto absently answered her before directing his own question to the Witch. "How did you know? I mean, it happened in the Netherworld and it was a foreign Goddess at that, so it's not like she was connected to anyone in this world."

"I'm not called the Highest Ranked Witch on Earth for nothing, you know." Lucretia gave him a playful wink. "Though I will admit that only I and Alice Louise, the Highest Ranked Witch in the Heavens, sensed your ascendance. I'm surprised you're aware of your position though, most Campione are rather disorientated after the change."

"Nah, Pandora-san explained it a bit to me, though she didn't really go into details." Naruto shrugged.

"Oh, you actually remember meeting her?" Lucretia's eyes widened in surprise.

"Yeah, why shouldn't I?" Naruto tilted his head in surprise. "I mean, sure, my body was pretty trashed, but I've healed from worse before without amnesia."

"No, that's not it." Lucretia shook her head. "It's just that to be able to remember whatever happens in Pandora's part of the Netherworld, one is supposed to have reached a certain level of enlightenment. Campione usually require a century or so before they can remember more than brief flashes."

"Well, I don't know anything about reaching enlightenment…" Naruto sweatdropped "Is it like accepting your inner darkness? That's the only thing I can think of that might help."

"Perhaps." Lucretia mused.

"Ahem." Erica coughed, bringing attention to himself. "What exactly mean by 'foreign Goddess'?"

"Oh, I mean she's from not from this world. She's from where I come from." Naruto replied before pausing at the incredulous looks the three females were giving him. "Right, I should have mentioned that before." He said sheepishly.

"Yes, you should have." Lucretia said faintly.

"Another world?" Shizuka asked doubtfully.

"That's rather unbelievable." Erica added.

"Well, I don't suppose it matters right now. It's not like I can return there." Naruto sighed.

"Oh? I take it you ended up in the Netherworld through some Authority of that… Goddess." Lucretia remarked.

"Not entirely." Naruto grumbled. "It was a mix of two of my Space-Time jutsu and one of hers. And Pandora was stingy and didn't give me that particular Space-Time jutsu."

"That sounds rather unbelievable, and I just found out about Gods a yesterday." Shizuka grumbled. "I mean, you don't look out of place… well, besides being blond with Japanese features."

"Meh, my world is not that different from Japan, culturally speaking." Naruto shrugged. "We're just more behind in technology and we still answer to a Daimyo, but it's nothing drastic. Besides, in my line of work we're expected to be able to adapt to any situation."

"Oh? And what is your line of work?" Erica asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I'm a ninja." Naruto gave her his best imitation of Kakashi's eye-smile.

"I find that rather unbelievable." Erica scoffed.

"Then I'm doing my job right." Naruto's voice was heard from across the room and looking in that direction, the girls saw him leaning against the wall while reading one of the books Lucretia had left opened on a table.

"Eh?" Shizuka looked between the Naruto next to her and the one across the room. "How?"

"Kage Bunshin." Naruto smirked as the clone standing between Shizuka and Erica dispelled in a puff of smoke.

"I didn't even sense the switch." Lucretia murmured. "Or was it a fake from the start?"

"I switched when you revealed I'm a God Slayer." Naruto shrugged before glancing back at the book in his hands. "So the Heretic God that's causing trouble is Verethragna, huh?" he mused.

"If it were only him…" Lucretia sighed. "A few days ago the Persian Warlord Verethragna summoned the Phoenician God-King Melqart and challenged him to battle. It took me every ounce of power I had to survive witnessing the battle. Unfortunately, it ended in a tie with Verethragna managing to deal a serious wound to Melqart, however he ended up with his incarnations scattered all over the place."

"The [Camel] at Bosa, the [Ram] at Orgosolo, the [Bull] at Barumini and most recently the [Boar] at Calgary." Erica spoke up, nodding in understanding.

"Well, when he spoke with me I think he had the [Youth]." Naruto remarked. "And I'm pretty sure put the [White Stallion] in this thing." He added as he approached Lucretia and handed the stone tablet to her.

"You're right… the Incarnation of the [White Stallion] is sealed within." The witch mused.

"It was on fire, I think." Naruto added as an afterthought.

"Yes, it represents the power of the Sun." Lucretia added before her eyes moved to Erica "Miss Erica, did you come here for the purpose of sealing the Heretic God?"

"That's right, I have to overcome this challenge, in order to prove that I can become the foremost talent of the Copper Black Cross. For that, I have accepted this difficult mission." Erica admitted in a firm voice.

"Which is why you are interested in the whereabouts of gods, how troublesome!" Lucretia sighed before looking at Naruto with a mischievous look "Well, I can no longer use this Grimoire so I'll be leaving it in your capable hands, Naruto-kun."

"Oi, oi, I have no idea about magic! That's why I came to ask you about!" Naruto exclaimed. "Besides, even if you're too tired to use it now, you'll recover in a few days right?"

"That's not it." Lucretia chuckled. "To use this Grimoire to seal a God's power, one must know the God on a personal level, to have had a conversation in which the God reveals aspects about itself. However, even if the God's power is stolen, only one who took it can make use of the tablet while that power is within."

"Oh." Naruto blinked before giving her a sheepish look. "Sorry about that."

"It's fine. You can keep that old thing." Lucretia assured him. "Now, can I count on you to help Erica Blandelli with either subduing or slaying the Gods that are causing trouble on this island?"

"Well, I…" Naruto began before Lucretia grabbed his shirt in pulled him down to her level, giving her a saucy smile.

"Pretty please? I'll be sure to _reward_ you…" the witch trailed off suggestively.

"Er… that's… I mean… not necessary!" Naruto spluttered, nervous sweat running down his face from the two murderous auras of righteous female rage radiating from behind him.

"Are you sure?" Lucretia pouted.

"Quite sure!" he yelped as he managed to get out of Lucretia's grip. _"Besides, she's older then Granny Tsunade! I'm not Ero-Sennin who goes after any woman that looks beautiful!"_ he added to himself inwardly.

" _ **You should go for it, brat."**_ Kurama spoke up _**"I can tell you that she really is physically that young, it's not a Henge or the like. It must be related to being a witch. Besides, your clan, the Uzumaki, also aged at an incredibly slow rate."**_

" _Really?"_ Naruto asked suspiciously.

" _ **Mito looked just as young when she was sixty. It was only once she reached her eighties that she began to age faster, and even then it had more to do with the burden I was placing on her then natural causes."**_ The Kyubi admitted.

" _Huh, learn something new every day."_ He mused.

" _ **Anyway, go for it!"**_ Kurama got back to the subject at hand. _**"When was the last time you were woman, huh? It was before you came back from your training trip with the old pervert! That's over a year ago!"**_ here he paused _**"Though I can understand why your libido didn't act up since then, that Pink Stick washboard certainly doesn't really appeal…"**_

" _Knock it off, will you!?"_ Naruto mentally groaned.

"Naruto, are you alright?" Shizuka spoke up with some concern.

"Eh?" he blinked and noticed all three females were staring at him weirdly. "Sorry, I just remembered something annoying… anyway, I'll see what I can do with those two Heretic Gods, but can Shizuka stay here until we're done? Also, can you teach some of my Kage Bunshin a few things about magic? Nothing fancy, just the basics will be enough for the moment since I'm completely curious about it." He requested.

"How can that be?" Lucretia frowned. "Didn't you say that you ended up in this world by mixing your spells with one of the Goddess you've slain?"

"Not spells, jutsu." Naruto corrected. "From what I can tell, magic used only the Yin part of chakra, the mental energy, while Chakra is a mix of mental energy gained through learning and experience as well as physical energy that our body produces." He parroted the explanation Sakura had given him over four years ago as he formed a Rasengan in his hands.

"Hm, I see… I suppose since it's a different world…" Lucretia mused as she watched the sphere of swirling energy mesmerized until he dispersed it. "Of course, it would be my pleasure to look after Ichirou's granddaughter and teach you a thing or two. But until then, you all must be exhausted from your trip. Help yourselves to the kitchen and choose a room upstairs for the night."

"Right, thank you Lucretia-san." Shizuka gave he a short bow before grabbing Naruto's arm and dragging him out of the room after giving him a look that told him he had some explaining to do.

Three hours and several bottles of wine later, Naruto had told a shortened version of his life story to the three girls – and likely Lucretia as well, if she could hear what her cat familiar did, since the feline had wandered into the kitchen a few minutes before Ariana did.

There was quite a bit of disbelief involved, but eventually after he demonstrated a few of his tamer abilities like _**Kawarimi**_ and _**Henge**_ she admitted she never heard of spells like that and she had quite a bit of experience with magic.

Eventually, Naruto had to pretty much carry each of the three girls to a room upstairs for the night, mentally thanking Kurama for his ability to burn alcohol from his body as well as it did poisons and other toxins, ability that had increased further by becoming a Campione.

There was a small hitch though; unlike Ariana and Shizuka who were dead to the world, Erica was still semi-conscious and continued to whine until the blond ninja acquiesced to her demanded and unzipped her dress, allowing it to slide of her slender form and pool at her feet, leaving Naruto holding the underwear-clad beautiful Italian blonde who kept trying to snuggle into him. As if that was not enough, after he managed to place her on the bed and tuck her in, he found that the door had _somehow_ been locked.

It really wasn't necessary to sharpen his hearing with chakra and hear Lucretia's laughter to know she was responsible.

Still…

"Something funny?" Naruto asked as he sat down next to Lucretia on the sofa moments later, having just teleported there via Kamui, causing her to jump in shock.

"Eh? But…." The Witch of Sardinia glanced between him and where Erica's room was likely located upstairs. "How?"

"I told you, didn't I? I have two Space-Time jutsu of my own." Naruto grinned.

"So you can teleport as you please?" she inquired curiously.

"As long as I know the location beforehand, as in I've been there before or something, I can teleport there." He agreed, deciding not to mention that amongst the many seals given to him by his father through the Rikudo Sennin, there were several that disrupted Summoning and other Space-Time jutsu over a marked area.

"Fascinating… and it's your own power, not part of your Authority?" Lucretia mused.

"Well, it's not part of my Authority, but I can't fully consider it my own power." Naruto admitted. "It's an ability of my eyes, which were transplanted from another person who fought Kaguya with me, but got killed early on." He thought back to Obito.

He refrained from telling her that since Kaguya was the Progenitor of Chakra, all his abilities could be considered pseudo-Authorities. And he definitely would not tell someone he just met that he was Kaguya's descendent.

"Anyway, think we can get started on teaching me a bit about magic?" Naruto asked anxiously, since being surrounded by people with unfamiliar abilities was making his shinobi instincts go haywire.

"Well, I suppose I can start with the theory right now." Lucretia agreed as she glanced around the room for the proper book. "But practical demonstrations will have to wait until I'm more recovered."

"Okay… but isn't there some way I can lend you my power or something?" Naruto frowned. "I mean, back home we could transfer chakra to others if we had large enough reserves ourselves…" he trailed off, thinking of how he had shared Kurama's chakra with several thousand people while fighting the recently reborn Juubi.

"Hm, there are some ways to forcefully drain a person's life force that I can think of… but willing sharing power?" Lucretia thought out loud. "Most people don't have enough power to do so, and even for those that do, such spells are rather wasteful, causing half or more of the power transferred to be lost…"

"Well, my life-force was strong enough even before I became a Campione, so… If you know a spell like that I'll let you take some form me to get you back on your feet." Naruto shrugged.

"Oh my…" Lucretia giggled. "Well, if you're offering, far from me the thought to refuse…" she began leaning towards him, grabbing his head and pulling his face towards hers.

"W-What are you doing?" Naruto yelped.

"Oh, didn't you know? Campione are near immune to normal magic. The only way to affect a Campione with magic is internally, such as through the mouth." Lucretia gave him a saucy look before kissing him, and moments later he began to feel a slight drain on his chakra. It was barely noticeable, but it certainly had an effect on Lucretia as she moaned into the kiss as her face became flushed and she deepened the kiss, pushing her tongue into his mouth and prodding his, challenging him to a battle for dominance.

As their arousal grew, the magic lessons were forgotten and pieces of clothing began to fly.

 _Next morning_

The first thing that Naruto felt as he awoke was heat. It was not the dangerous heat of fire, rather it was a pleasurable heat focussed on his nether regions. Opening his eyes, he blushed as his blue orbs focused on Lucretia's bouncing bosom as the beautiful woman rod him cowgirl style, his member getting even harder as he realized he had been unconsciously already thrusting in and out of her hot tunnel.

"Oh, you're finally awake, Naruto-kun." Lucretia smiled as she leaned to give him a morning kiss.

Taking advantage of the proximity, Naruto's hands went and cupped her large breasts, pinching and twisting her hard nipples to provide her with additional stimulation, causing her to cry out as she reached her peak soon after, him following a short while later, filling her once more with his hot spunk. He momentarily panicked before relaxing, remembering that he had used a contraception jutsu on himself the night before, something that Jiraiya had taught him, which would insure he would be shooting blanks for a week.

Before he knew it though, Lucretia had gotten off him and dragged him to the bathroom where there shared a shower, presumably to wash each other's backs, though in reality it was to give Lucretia another opportunity to show how skilful her mouth was… and for Naruto to take advantage of her soaking wet member to push her against the glass wall of the shower and fuck her ass, claiming her tightest hole once more.

Unfortunately for him, he didn't realize they were being rather loud, especially for six in the morning, and that being accustomed to alcohol from the regular Kusanagi get-togethers Shizuka tended to not only not have a hangover, but wake up early rather than later to sleep off the effects of the alcohol. As such, he did not expect for Shizuka to open the bathroom door slightly, nor did he expect her to continue watching as he and Lucretia had sex, and he especially did not expect her to get off on it, if the arousal he sensed from her as well as the sounds of masturbation were anything to go by. Normally, he would have stopped and panicked if someone walked in on him like that, but the fact that Shizuka chose to hide her presence and observe was actually turning him on. Who knew the uptight teenager was such a voyeur? In the end though, the girl made herself scarce soon after Naruto and Lucretia reached their respective orgasms, likely for a change of underwear.

After that, both he and Lucretia retired to their rooms while a few of Naruto's Kage Bunshin tidied up the siting room and aired it a bit, to get rid of the smell of sex while they made themselves presentable. Just because they shared a night of passion did not mean they were going to advertise it, and despite Lucretia's playful behaviour she was no easy woman, Naruto knew this, having seen into her heart with his empathic abilities.

The only way their activities would become known was if Shizuka spilled the beans, and Naruto somehow doubted that would be happening considering she had not burst in and interrupted them as he had expected her to.

Soon after that, Arianna woke up as well and began preparing breakfast for them all, but not before kindly requesting for Naruto to go wake up Erica… who was still locked in her room.

"Er, Lucretia? Can I have the key to Erica's room?" the blond asked nervously.

"Hm, oh, right…" the Witch blinked and began looking around before smiling as her cat familiar came with the item she sought in its mouth. "Here you go."

"Thanks… I just hope she's not awake yet. I can totally see her accusing me of locking her up in her room." Naruto sighed as he headed upstairs.

As it turned out, Erica was not awake… however that soon changed and soon enough he found himself dodging her sword swings and thrusts as apparently while she remembered enough to know that he had not done anything to her while she slept, she also remembered that he was the one who helped her undress, thus leading to her trying to kill him for defiling her body with his male eyes.

Her attacks came to an abrupt halt though when the clear sky suddenly darkened with storm clouds, clouds that they both felt radiating what could only be divine power.

"They're here?" Naruto frowned as he noticed Erica taking on her battle attire with a quick spell before jumping out the window.

Here, he hesitated. On one hand, at least one of the Heretic Gods was here and the sooner he fought and either defeated or drove it off, the better. On the other hand, this was Lucretia's house, and it would likely be destroyed, possibly killing both her and Shizuka. And while the house was a distance away from the town, it was not far enough to escape unscathed from a fight with a Biiju, never mind a God like Kaguya had been. If he went, the God was likely to sense him for what he was. He had discussed it with Kurama on the way to Lucretia's house – if only to focus his mind on something other than Arianna's driving – and they had concluded that the only reason Verethragna had not identified him as a Campione was due to his fragmented state.

As such, he made a Kage Bunshin that rushed after Erica while the real him hurried to find Lucretia.

"Oh, I thought you went after the Heretic God." the Witch mused when she saw him.

"I only sent a Kage Bunshin to see who it was." Naruto replied. "I would rather not fight here, I'm… not good at fighting around human populations." He grimaced as he thought back at his rampage in Konoha after he had thought Pein had killed Hinata before his eyes. A moment later, he cursed as he received the memories of the clone he had sent. "Damn, Erica went after Melqart, Arianna-san is driving her there."

"You should go." Lucretia said seriously. "If those two Heretic Gods clash again Sardinia may sink into the sea.

"I'm going. But before that, I'm leaving a clone here to learn from you and look after Shizuka." He spoke before creating a Bunshin that held a good tenth of his chakra, which was an obscene amount even by Biiju standards.

"Good luck." Shizuka managed to say before the original disappeared in a Shunshin.

A few minutes later, Naruto arrived just in time to save Erica from being turned to charcoal by Verethragna's lighting.

"You okay?" he asked as he glanced at her, hand still outstretched as it absorbed the last of the electricity with his Preta Path.

"Y-Yeah. What took you so long?" Erica shot back, quickly recovering from this brush with death.

"Oi, you're the one who went ahead!" Naruto shot back.

Meanwhile, Verethragna had taken advantage of Erica no longer interfering and Melqart being distracted to materialize his Golden Sword and attack the gigantic grey God, managing to pierce through the golden dome of divine power Melqart had materialized and inflict another cut into his flesh.

With this new wound, Melqart's rage peaked and the ground began to tremble as the sky rumbled, signalling to Naruto to make his move before it was too late.

" **Hey! King Melqart!"** he shouted as he appeared in the giant's path, releasing the hold on his chakra, allowing all to feel his power.

" **Oh? What is this? A child of Pandora wishes to challenge me? Very well, I will fight you as soon as I'm done with…"** Melqart began.

"Actually, don't you find it dishonourable to fight Verethragna when he's missing a full tenth of himself?" Naruto taunted.

"… **And how do** _ **you**_ **know that?"** Melqart paused curiously.

"Because I have his [White Stallion] Incarnation right here." The blond declared as he held out the stone tablet Grimoire. "What do you say? Let me fight Verethragna here and now and once you've recovered you can fight the victor amongst us two."

" **Hoh, appealing to my pride, are you?"** Melqart laughed. **"Very well, I grant you my approval."**

"I too am anxious to fight you, young Warrior." Verethragna added, a predatory grin on his face. "To think that you were a child of Pandora and I did not notice it… when you hold such power at that… I must be losing my edge."

"Let's see if you can sharpen it with me… but I think it will be the other way around." Naruto grinned back.

"Ho ho, confident aren't you?" Verethragna narrowed his eyes as called forth lightning to descend on Naruto once more, only for it to be absorbed. "Oh, an Authority that absorbs divine power… I have not seen such for a few centuries… **but what about physical attacks?!** " he yelled as he moved at blinding speeds to cut Naruto down with his Golden Sword.

" _ **Shinra Tensei!"**_ Naruto called out with a wide grin and saved every moment of Verethragna's eyes widening in shock as his Golden Sword was not only stopped, but pushed – not blasted back along with himself! _"I can totally see why Nagato loved doing this!"_

Managing to redress his flight after being smacked away in force, the youthful Heretic God gave Naruto an impressed look.

"Incredible! To push me back… and it could not have been an Authority, otherwise my Sword would have sliced through its Divinity.

"That sword cuts Divinity… good to know." Naruto muttered to himself.

Without another word, Verethragna unleashed a blast of power into the ground beneath him causing it to erupt like a volcano, and from it emerged the very same Boar that had been rampaging in Calgary, this time its sights set on Naruto at whom it charged with a deafening roar.

" _ **Spirit of the sands, entrap my enemy!"**_ Naruto intoned the sacred spell words causing the ground before him to turn into sand before exploding upwards, quickly compressing into the massive form of Shukaku, the One-Tailed Tanuki who immediately went to grab the Boar about to crash into it, grabbing its head even as the Boar's tusks impaled his torso.

"A mighty Divine Beast, but my Boar shall make quick work of it." Verethragna declared.

"Somehow I doubt it. Your Boar looks a bit tied up at the moment!" Naruto shot back.

Frowning, Verethragna glanced back at the two Divine Beasts and his eyes widened at the sight of sight of sand having covered most of his Boar's body, but more importantly at the purplish markings that glowed darkly all over the shell of sand.

"I see now… just like quicksand, your Divine Beast has the power to bind its foes." Verethragna understood.

"Speaking of Divine Beast's…" Naruto began before appearing right in front of the Persian Warlord in the air, hands outstretched holding the Prometheus Grimoire **"This one is yours!"** he exclaimed as he unleashed the power of the White Stallion from within in a pillar of fire with a horse head at the tip, engulfing Verethragna in flames as hot as the sun…

" **I shall not be defeated by my own Avatar!"** Verethragna roared as the flames were blasted away from him by the use of the Gale Incarnation, and along with the Naruto who still held the stone tablet…

"Didn't count on it." The Kage Bunshin holding the tablet manage to say before being dispelled.

" **What?!"** the youth managed to say before his eyes fell on Naruto.

Only this Naruto was different than before. He was clad mostly in black, from head to toe, over which he wore jacket of that appeared to be made of golden flames woven together, as was his hair, while his eyes were fully golden with a ripple pattern. Had he seen him from behind, he would have noticed the nine black tomoe lined up in row of three on his jacket under a symbol of an eye with a ripple pattern spreading from the pupil…

But what he was most focused on at the moment was massive golden orb of swirling energy held together by a ring of spinning white blades… which was inches from his face.

" _ **Senpo: Odama Rasenshuriken!"**_ Naruto roared as he slammed the orb as big as he was into the youthful god, blasting him away and into a hill which was sliced in two along with Verethragna when the wind blades released their hold on the core, which then expanded engulfing him in a massive dome of swirling wind blades that cut everything apart.

Eventually, it died down to reveal a mortally injured Verethragna – his upper half at least – laying down in the center of the crater the S-rank jutsu had left behind.

"Ah… well done… Warrior… 'tis was a fine battle… fitting for… my… last…" Verethragna coughed. "What… is… you name?"

"Naruto Uzumaki." The blond replied as he landed close to the fallen god who had already began breaking apart into motes of golden light from where he had been cut in half.

"Maelstrom… of the Whirlpool… a strong name… fitting…" the Persian Warlord smiled in satisfaction. "Take… my power… temper it… in battle… for when… we meet… once more…"

"I look forward to it." Naruto's grin mirrored the dying god's, even as he felt something warm being pressed into his chest as the last of Verethragna faded away.

" **Impressive battle, young God Slayer!"** Melqart praised as he began fading into the storm. **"** **Your first enemy was the war god Verethragna; the second one is me! Very soon I will recover all my power. When that time comes, take the place of that war god, my spears of fury will be aimed at you! Polish your sword and wait for my arrival!"** he finished as he faded away towards the South-East.

"Well, that was fun." Naruto grinned before it faded away as he rushed to where he sensed Erica. "Erica, are you alright?"

"Yes, I am unharmed. Your clone kept me out of harm's way." Erica replied as she continued to stare at the massive crater left behind by the Rasenshuriken. "You know, until now I did not fully believe that you are the Seventh Campione despite what Lucretia Zola said… but seeing is believing." She finaly turned to look at him. "But that golden orb was an incredible Authority."

"Eh?" Naruto blinked. "That wasn't my Authority."

"…What?" Erica froze.

"That was a jutsu I created by improving on one my dad made." Naruto grinned. "An enhanced version anyway."

"Then… this form is your Authority?" Erica guessed.

"Nope, this a power-up of mine though it would not be wrong to liken it to an Authority since the person who taught me it is a Kaguya's son, who I guess is a demigod now that I think about it…" Naruto trailed off.

"Then WHAT is the Authority you gained when you became a Campione!?" Erica demanded.

"I can summon up to nine tailed beasts like the one that fought the Boar…" Naruto trailed off, deciding not to tell her more right now.

" _ **Good choice."**_ Kurama chimed in.

"Summoning and controlling Divine Beasts." Erica mussed. "I don't think there are any Campione who currently have such powers other than Duke Voban with his wolves…"

"Anyway… I don't know about you but fighting on an empty stomach is not something I want to repeat." Naruto spoke up as he deactivated his Six Paths Sage Mode just as a terrifying roar was heard… from his stomach.

"Very well, let's head to the nearest town and get something to eat." Erica agreed. "I believe we can rest for today, but tomorrow we will have to seek out Melqart's whereabouts. It will take him more than a day to heal if what Verethragna said about his sword is true, but it's best to know in advance."

"Food now, planning later!" Naruto took off at high speed with a grin.

"…he's going the wrong way." Erica sweatdropped.

 **A.N.: Well, I had a bit of spare time so I decided to finish this chapter. I hope you enjoyed it.**

 **Now, a question for you all: would you like for me to post the description of the [Tails of the Shinju] now, or would you prefer to learn more about it as the story goes on. Choose carefully!**


	3. Chapter 3

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own Naruto or Campione. Naruto is the property of Masashi Kishimoto and Campione is the property of Takedzuki Jou.

 _Italics text = character thinking to themselves._

 _Underline+Italics = character communicating with telepathy_

 **Bold text = shouting**

 _ **Bold+Italcs = Casting Spell/Ability**_

 **Chapter Three**

 **On the Isle of Storms**

"Geez, this is exactly why I haven't advertised that I was a Campione." Naruto grumbled as he and Erica walked away from a warehouse.

Within lay the handful of magic users who were part of a cult dedicated to Verethragna and were investigating their god's death with the purpose of seeking revenge… or at least had been doing so until Naruto had used his Sharingan on them. Now, he was not quite sure how much he had erased and considering his tendency to overdoing things, he admitted in the privacy of his own mind that he might have wiped their minds clean entirely.

" _ **You say that like's a bad thing."**_ Kurama was quick to shatter that illusion of privacy.

" _Well, since they were apparently trying to boil my brains, I suppose they deserve whatever they get."_ The whiskered blond admitted.

" _ **You should have simply killed them and gotten rid of the bodies."**_ Kurama snorted.

" _I'm pretty sure I've said this before, but the people of this world seem to use killing as an absolute last resort rather than the convenient answer to most problems in life."_ Naruto rolled his eyes.

" _ **Hmph, you're a 'Supreme Ruler' aren't you?"**_ Kurama huffed. _**"You are above their petty laws."**_

" _Of course, and since I have 'always loved going on murdering rampages' I can now enjoy myself to my heart's content, right?"_ Naruto shot back sarcastically.

" **Are you even listening to me?"** Erica shouted, a bit too late as she had apparently positioned herself in front of him, hands on her hips and glaring at him, causing him to walking right into her. Thankfully, she was steady on her feet and the impact had not knocked her over. **"Na-ru-to!"** she growled.

"Sorry, sorry, I wasn't paying attention." The whiskered blond admitted sheepishly.

"So I've gathered." Erica grumbled. "What _were_ you paying attention to?"

"The voice inside my head that's telling me that I should have killed those cultists and gotten rid of their bodies." Naruto deadpanned.

"…Okay…" Erica took a few quick steps backward, an awkward smile on her lips.

"Actually, let me introduce you to him." Naruto smirked evilly and raised his hand towards Erica whose eyes widened in horror at what she perceived as her execution.

Seconds later, a translucent blob of crimson chakra grew in Naruto's palm until it was the size of his head before reshaping itself into a miniature one tailed Kurama that solidified and stretched with a delighted purr.

"Erica, meet Kurama. Kurama, meet Erica." Naruto introduced.

"Hello?" Erica blinked a few times.

" **Hello to you too."** Kurama gave her a dismissive look before turning towards Naruto. **"Say, now that I'm out I could go and eat those cultists for you!"** he offered.

"No." Naruto sighed as he placed the fox on his right shoulder and continued walking, Erica imitating him even though her eyes were glued to the fox.

"Is… is he one of the Divine Beasts you can summon with your Authority?" Erica asked.

"Yeah, though this is obviously not his full form." Naruto confirmed. "Enough about him, you haven't told me where we're going." He pointed out.

"Ah, it's quite simple." Erica smiled. "We need a way to track Melqart. Normally, I would have called Lucretia-san for help but as she was so exhausted I expect her to have gone into a magical sleep for a few days to recover her energy by now. Thankfully, there is another mage that is capable of assisting us with this, and he lives in Calgary."

"I sense a 'but'." Naruto grimaced at the look on her face as she mentioned the other mage, wondering if it wasn't too late to mention Lucretia was back to full power by now due to his intervention.

"Yes, you see, he's 100% untrustworthy." Erica grumbled "His name…"

 _Timeskip – next day, Calgary_

"I see... Since you come with Lucretia Zola's introductions, I David Bianchi cannot ignore you." A handsome man in his mid-twenties dressed impeccably in a well-tailored suit remarked. "I am already aware of the matter of two gods descending here. I also know one of them is Melqart. Based on the other god's identity as an oriental deity, I speculate him to be Verethragna, is that right?"

"Yes, based on what we heard from Lucretia, you are an outstanding geomancist. We wish to employ your magical skill to help track down Melqart's whereabouts." Erica spoke in lady-like tones while Naruto remained silent on the side, glancing around at the richly decorated room in slight boredom.

"Well, there's no problem. It's the least I could do out of obligation to Lucretia. However, I hope you can enlighten me. Is it really true that warlord Verethragna met his demise at Melqart's hands?" Bianchi asked.

"Yes, it's true. Naruto Uzumaki here and I were eyewitnesses to the fact." Erica lied with a pleasant smile on her face.

"Hmph, in any case, let me begin preparing for the physiognomy. Could you please be patient while I get the necessary tools ready?" Bianchi asked as he headed out of the room.

" **I bet he's going to attack you within the next hour."** Kurama remarked from within Naruto's backpack where it surprisingly comfortably rested.

"Who do you take me for, Tsunade-baachan? That's a sucker's bet." Naruto quietly shot back.

"Be that as it may, he's the best we have available right now." Erica sighed in resignation. "Let's hope he finds Melqart for us before he does something stupid. Since this is his home ground, it would be very disadvantageous for us as intruders to engage him in hostilities. Still, if I focus on protecting myself with my best defensive spell, Bianchi would most likely fail to breach it. With no other recourse, perhaps he would target you instead..." she trailed off.

"Which won't be a problem." Naruto nodded.

"Speaking of Campione Abilities, have you found out anything about your new Authority last night?" Erica inquired in a soft whisper.

"Yeah, it's a lot my first one in being one Authority with multiple Avatars, ten to be exact." Naruto replied knowing she would be seeing him use this particular Authority sooner rather than later.

"You have all ten of _his_ Incarnations?" Erica whispered in shock.

"Yes, but they have a lot of conditions on them." He shrugged.

"Hm, makes sense." She nodded slowly. "There had to be a balance between quantity and quality."

An hour later, they found themselves in a spacious room before a three dimensional topographical map of the terrain surrounding the Mediterranean, roughly 2 by 5 meters, featuring Spain, Italy, Greece, Turkey, the Mediterranean Sea and various North African countries in exquisite detail.

"Well then. Let us try to track down the 'presence' of Melqart you witnessed." Bianchi declared as he picked up a beaker containing a brown powder. "This powder was made by grinding up fragments of a jar recently unearthed from the ruins of the ancient Phoenician home port of Tyre." He explained as he poured it onto the model, right onto the position of Calgary.

Then the powder began to move on its own. Slithering over the model like a snake, it rushed towards the Mediterranean Sea, heading east.

"The island of Sicily? Melqart went to Sicily?" Erica exclaimed.

"Looks like it. The Phoenician's sphere of influence not only includes Sardinia but Sicily as well. Perhaps in search of his identity, Melqart seeks the root of his existence by moving to a sacred domain closer to his homeland." Bianchi mused. "So that's that. But actually, I also prepared something else." He continued as he picked up a test tube containing a small amount of white powder. "This powder was made from shavings of a stone tablet unearthed from Zoroastrian temple ruins dating back to the Sassanid Empire of Persia. It was prepared for tracking down the 'presence' of the war god of victory, Verethragna." He declared as he poured the contents of the test tube onto the model, causing the white powder to slither straight towards Calgary. "Erica-kun... If the Verethragna was really killed by Melqart as you claimed, this powder should have vanished instead. However, its current state is obvious." Bianchi smiled smugly. "Based on the physiognomy, Verethragna died by a human's hand. Consequently, the warlord's authority was usurped, and the new owner is currently in Cagliari. Most likely, that person is you!" he glared at Naruto. "While I was making you wait, I observed the spiritual physiognomy within this mansion and discovered a swirling 'presence' that hung around like gunpowder. Rather than you, Erica-kun, it was a mysterious 'something' hidden in this youth here, waiting for an opportunity to rampage!"

"Or" Naruto began dryly "It could be hidden in my backpack which holds the Prometheus Grimoire in which Verethragna placed his [White Stallion] avatar just before he retrieved his [Boar] a few days ago."

"Oh." Bianchi blinked slowly, the dramatic tension visibly bleeding out of him. "So… you didn't become a Campione by slaying Verethragna?"

"No." Naruto said honestly _"I killed Kaguya first, after all."_

Meanwhile, Erica was both impressed and annoyed by Naruto. On the one hand, he not said any lies, but had spoken truthfully in a way that implied something else. On the other hand, she was hoping to see Naruto demonstrate more of his Authorities… though in hindsight, if what he said about the spell that killed Verethragna was true, he need not rely on them.

"Hm, if that's the case…" Bianchi trailed off as he waved his hand at Naruto causing a cloud of glittery dust to appear and head towards him, only to disappear when it touched him "Then why are you immune to my magic?" he grinned victoriously.

"Maybe your spell just sucked, did you consider that?" Naruto taunted.

"That's enough Naruto, it seems David Bianchi does not fail to see past deception. So even if this were the truth, what problems would it pose?" Erica declared with absolute elegance and fearlessness "If Naruto Uzumaki is a Campione - the first thing you must do is bow down to the new [King] and express congratulations to his ascension to the throne, offering your utmost fear and respect."

"Yes. Indeed, that is correct." Bianchi smiled wryly. "I've had this notion for a very long time. Indeed, Campione are those who have slain gods. However, do you really believe they are all worthy of being [Kings]? Our king - Salvatore Doni - is a perfect example. Who could believe he is such a great idiot, an utter moron!"

" **Hm, I'm seeing a patern here."** Kurama whispered to the whiskered blond from within the backpack.

"Quiet you." Naruto quietly grumbled back.

"Well, Sir Salvatore is one of a kind. You can't really generalize from one example." Erica shrugged, not at all surprised or bothered by the slight to another Supreme Ruler, her own country's at that.

"Only the sword. He is a man who has utterly no merit in anything other than the sword, right? Even if it is said that no amount of spells will work, provided we have the intent - don't you think that we are able to do it?" Bianchi argued.

"Are you actually talking about defeating a Campione?" Erica asked with both disbelief and amusement.

"Correct. Just as they have slain gods, we too, can defeat Devil Kings. At least, when my opponent is an inexperienced Campione who is full of openings!" the man smiled triumphantly at Naruto who stared back dully. "My mastery of physiognomy is not limited to the essence of the earth but also extends to…"

From there on, Naruto pretty much tuned out the mage's monologue up until the point he attacked Erica with a dark mist.

"Erica?!" Naruto exclaimed in worry, seeing how whatever that mist touched seemed to wither and die.

" _ **For the sake of maintaining order in Rome, the Senate decreed the suspension of imperium! O Steel of the Lion, layest thyself down as the foundation!"**_ Erica incanted, summoning her blade the Cuore di Leone which immediately transformed into a chain with ten links joined at the ends around the blonde, creating a magical barrier to stop the dark mist from touching her. _**"Senatus consultum ultimum, hereby decreed!"**_

"A protective barrier erected using the spell of Senatus consultum ultimum is equivalent to a castle in durability. However, the spellcaster cannot take a single step out of its confines. Isn't that nice? While you protect yourself, you will be unable to guard this new Campione boy here!" Bianchi taunted.

The two blonds exchanged a glance and smirk at the idea that Naruto needed Erica's protection from a man like Bianchi.

"Please go ahead, be my guest." Erica chuckled. "The reason why Campione are regarded as kings and conquerors - beings who have completely transcended the limitations imposed by laws of nature, I hope you can savor the experience thoroughly. If perchance you survive this encounter, perhaps it would serve as a wonderful lesson." She advised with what Naruto's experience with women allowed him to identify as a devil's smile.

"You sure about this, Erica?" Naruto raised an eyebrow.

"Trying out your Verethragna Authority on a mage on that level would be no issue." Erica assured him.

"How dare you describe me as simply being 'of that level.' You are mistaken if you think I'm a man whose only skill is geomancy. Just as you saw, I've been through many real battles." Bianchi fumed.

"Anyway, what he's trying to say is 'I'm not some kind of flunkie.' Just ignore him." Erica shrugged.

"What do you think I've been doing until now?" Naruto deadpanned. "I almost fell asleep during his monologue."

By now Bianchi was actively glaring at Naruto.

"The Seventh Devil King. I had no grudge against you personally, but as a man, I cannot refuse a challenge. So would you kindly have a duel with me?"

"Let's get this over with." Naruto sighed. _"I can just see Melqart yelling me about being later to out epic showdown."_

"O Forest! Tiger! Using those immortal claws and eyes, your terror shall create balance!" Bianchi chanted and the wall behind him was distorted before fading away revealing a scene one would expect to see in a tropical forest.

"This is distorting space and connecting to a rainforest somewhere!" Erica warned.

And suddenly Naruto was interested in David Bianchi. If there was one branch of magic he had interest in, it was space-time magic, both teleportation and the opening of gateways between two places.

From that forest a massive tiger, possibly over 300 kg, emerged and approached Naruto, glaring at him hungrily.

"Even if magic is cast on a Campione, it will be completely deflected. It's a well-known fact." Bianchi commented. "However, there are other avenues. Take the bones and the face for example... Because all it requires is the appearance, techniques like physiognomy were usable like earlier. Targeting a Campione's powerful divine aura, investigative magic can be used to locate them… Since objects summoned by magic can cause damage, controlling these artificial magic beasts will work — hey [King], these fellows are man-eating tigers accustomed to the taste of human flesh and blood." He taunted.

And with that the tiger lunged at him, another emerging on its trail…

Only for Naruto to casually backhand the first into and through a wall to his right, breaking it down to reveal the outside of the mansion, and then kicking upwards to remove the head of the next tiger, sending it into the ceiling while its body fell to the ground with a dull thump, before collapsing into a golden sand that soon faded away as well.

"Tsk, so your Authority grants you super strength!" Bianchi scowled. "Let's see how you deal with more of them at once!" and with that a handful of tigers stepped out of the foliage.

Deciding that it was time to try his Authority, Naruto focused on one of the Incarnations that felt available to him at the moment and began chanting the spell words as the came to his lips.

" _ **All evildoers, tremble before my strength... Upon my mighty self, I shall bear the symbol of the raging camel!"**_

Power surged through him, boosting his strength, defense, focusing on leg power… and apparently his sixth sense as well, from what he was feeling.

Turning his attention towards the rapidly approaching tigers, he tuned to the side… and then kicked out with his left foot straight towards the center of the pack, unleashing a shockwave that not only blasted the tiger magical beasts back and reduced them to golden sand while still in midair, but also disrupted the dimensional portal Bianchi had created… and destroyed the wall… and the next two that were beyond it as well as the room that were between those walls.

Lowering his leg, he glanced towards a pale Bianchi.

"Now would be a good time to give up, don't 'cha think?" Naruto advised as he allowed the power of the Authority to leave him, hiding his frown as he felt the [Camel] become unavailable to him for a while.

"Bastard!" Bianchi spat and with a wave of his hand the dark mist that surrounded Erica's barrier lunged at the whiskered blond… and faded away just before it actually touched him. **"Monster!"**

"Well screw you too, pal!" Naruto shot back in annoyance only to have a vial thrown in his face before it blew up… the sulfurous fire also fading away before it touched him.

Before Naruto could comment, Bianchi used as similar vial to widen the hole Naruto had made to the outside wall… and then run like hell away from the mansion, apparently heading towards the port.

"Well, given his boastful words previously, ending things so anticlimactically is rather fitting." Erica commented as she stepped beside Naruto to look at the distancing mage.

"Yeah, but I guess he's not a complete idiot. I know a lot of people who would not give up even when clearly out of their league." Naruto remarked.

" **With yourself at the top of the list."** Kurama snarked.

"Oi! Having you with me automatically meant I wasn't outmatched!" Naruto protested.

" **Excuses."** The fox scoffed as he crawled onto his shoulder.

"Are you going to let him get away?" Erica inquired.

"Well, we did get what he came here for…" Naruto began.

Suddenly, Erica crouched, clutching her chest.

"What's wrong Erica?" Naruto blinked.

"M-My chest hurts. It seems like I didn't defend completely against Bianchi's spells. Due to that darkness, my heart almost stopped..." she trailed off.

Silence. That was what followed her declaration. After an uncomfortable pause, she glanced upwards to see both her fellow blond and the fox giving her a dull look.

"If you're that desperate to see my Authorities, you could just ask nicely, you know." Naruto told her flatly before turning his attention towards Bianchi in the distance, another Incarnation manifesting in his mind's-eye. _**"The Boar shall ravage you! The Boar shall exterminate you!"**_ he called out as the ground under Bianchi became black flames from which a massive 20 meter or longer black Boar with long ivory tusks emerged, almost trampling the man had he not felt the change and jumped to the side, landing in a puddle of mud… as the Boar continued on towards the port.

"Impressive." Erica praised. "But aren't you going to dismiss it now?"

"…I can't." Naruto admitted. "I can only summon it destroy something massive like a mansion of this size… or a port. And until it's destroyed, it won't go back."

"… **Nice."** Kurama grinned. **"I knew I was a good influence on you, brat!"**

"The port is probably not too populated considering the devastation the Boar caused a few days ago but…" Erica mussed.

"L-Let me try something!" Naruto stuttered nervously as he focused on his connection to the Boar and tried to impose his will on it… only to be soundly ignored. Grimacing, he thought of something else and the Incarnation of the Raptor appeared in his mind's-eye. _**"Fear of the winged, both the evil and the powerful, all shall fear I who hold these feathered wings. My wings will bring you curse and just desserts!"**_ he chanted and he felt the world begin to slow down even as the Boar was dismissed with a disappointed roar just after it arrived in the port and began tearing down a warehouse.

Giving himself a mental pat on the back at how he switched from using one Authority to another, he grinned when he felt that the [Boar] Incarnation was still available to him. Then, focusing at the source or their current troubles who was just pulling himself from the mud, Naruto _moved_ and within the blink of an eye he was at Bianchi's side, grabbing him by the underarm and pulling him up before moving again at Godspeed, stopping within the room in which their confrontation began to toss the man to the ground before releasing the Authority, allowing it to become dormant as well.

"P-Please! I beg of you!" Bianchi stuttered.

"You don't say?" Naruto murmured as he activated his Rinnegan and grabbed the top of Bianchi's skull, starring him in the eye to instill further terror even as he used the Human Path of the Six Paths to absorbs all of the man's memories. "…Fine, don't do it again. I hear other Campione as not as easygoing as I am." He let go before turning and walking out though the hole in the wall to join Erica.

" **Oi, give me a warning next time, Brat!"** Kurama growled, having fallen off Naruto's shoulder when he had taken off.

"Sorry, didn't expect to be that fast. It's faster than my Shunshin even." Naruto muttered.

" **Your old man's Hiraishin is still faster."** Kurama added.

"Because that's teleportation, not speed!" Naruto protested. "If we're counting that, then I have the _**Amenotejikara**_!"

" **Uchiha tricks don't count!"** Kurama shot back.

"It was your old man that gave it to him!" Naruto rolled his eyes.

" **Details!"** Kurama scoffed.

"You're unbelievable!" Naruto groaned.

All the while as they continued on their way towards the port, Erica watched their bickering with growing amusement.

" _It's like watching siblings argue."_ She chuckled internally.

 _Timeskip – that evening_

As he calmly ate his dinner along with Erica aboard a luxurious ferry on the way to Sicily, Naruto was of two minds about it.

That morning, after arriving in Calgary he and Erica had essentially laid down the law to the three representatives of the Calgary Mage Associations, having them not only suppress information about Naruto – who despite not being the most discrete of ninja still understood the value of stealth – as well as arrange transportation for them to Palermo, Sicily.

On the one hand, Naruto had never been wealthy or surrounded by luxury, so he was somewhat uncomfortable to be spoiled like this. Even after acquiring quite a bit of wealth in this world via the _**Icha Icha**_ series and liberating some cash from yakuza, he had chosen to live relatively modestly.

On the other hand, he was at his sixth serving of pasta that while not quite to his ramen standards was still delicious.

"You can certainly eat, Naruto." Erica commented as she ate her melon ice cream desert.

"I always had a high metabolism." Naruto admitted. "I heard I take after my mom in that, so it must be an Uzumaki thing."

" **It is, the Ramen addiction as well."** Kurama confirmed as he returned from his walk around the ship and jumped onto the table. **"Mito had it as well."**

"Speaking of your family, what can you tell me about them? You mentioned that what you used to finish off Verethragna was something you developed from your father's technique…" Erica trailed off.

"Well, I don't know much about them." Naruto frowned. "They died less than an hour after I was born."

" **Sorry about that."** Kurama grumbled uncomfortably.

"Not your fault." Naruto shrugged.

" **I skewered them on my claws."** Kurama pointed out flatly.

"You know well enough mom was on the brink of death from the Biiju Extraction anyway, and dad… well, he pretty much killed himself the moment he used the _**Shiki Fujin**_." Naruto shrugged.

" **Hm, I guess we can say it was Madara's fault and leave it at that."** Kurama mused.

"More like Kaguya's, since she was manipulating Madara via Black Zetsu." Naruto pointed out before turning his attention to Erica. "Anyway, about my family… My dad was the Fourth Hokage of Konoha, the ninja village I grew up in. He was pretty famous as one of the strongest ninja ever and as the fastest man alive. Mom… well, she's descended from Kaguya, the goddess I killed, via her oldest son, and because of this the Uzumaki had massive chakra reserves and high vitality. Hm, what else… oh yeah, they were great with seals."

"Were?" Erica frowned.

" **The world we came from was not very peaceful."** Kurama replied. **"A certain balance of power existed between the five great ninja villages, but the other villages… well, they were not as lucky. The Uzumaki clan who lived in Uzushiogakure had become too powerful to be ignored and Kumogakure, Kirigakure and Iwagakure allied themselves to wipe them out… which they did, with great losses. It was the attack on Uzu that sparked the Second Great Ninja World War."**

"If they were wiped out then…" Erica looked at Naruto questionably.

"Mom had moved to Konoha a few years before that." Naruto replied.

Before their conversation could continue, thunder resounded and they felt a familiar divine aura. Exchanging a glance, they got up from their table and headed to the deck.

" **It's been a while, boy."**

"Melqart." Naruto shot back. "Have you recovered enough for our battle?"

" **This sea was once the territory of the people who served me, but look at what it has become. The people here have the insolence to forget the name of Melqart, and are polluting my sacred domain. As the stately divine king, I cannot allow such foolish behavior of the people to persist."** Melqart seemed to change the subject.

"Oh, what do you plan to do about it?" Naruto frowned, getting a bad feeling.

" **Hmm, first I shall sink the island where Verethagna met you, brat, and then it will be the island where I am sleeping now. After that, I shall submerge all my ancient territories."** Melqart declared calmly. **"I've considered it, I shall execute you, brat, before carrying out divine punishment. But we will not fight here right now. Sinking these islands requires the accumulation of power. I shall end things in one or two days."**

"Unless I kill you first, you mean." Naruto growled.

" **We shall see, young god-slayer. There is still time before the ancient divine king's summons arrive. You may relax for now, and take your time to figure out how to sharpen your sword while you wait. Then I shall send you, brat, on a journey to paradise."** The god spoke.

"See you in a day or two then." Naruto said with a frown.

" **Hmph, very well, I shall look forward to the amusement you will offer as a warrior. Well then, wait patiently for your punishment!"**

With that final warning, the sky began to clear signaling the departure of the god's presence.

" **That went well."** Kurama said dryly.

"Well… he didn't sink this ship, at least." Naruto shrugged, scratching the back of his head.

" **Meh, you can take him. Kaguya was stronger. She could cause cataclysms as well, remember?"** Kurama pointed out.

"Yeah, but I also almost died beating Kaguya." Naruto sweatdropped.

" **Details."** Kurama said dismissively.

"Yeah, I think I'm going to need Verethragna's [Warrior] Avatar." Naruto frowned as he let the fox and the still silent Kurama inside. "You saw that just now, right? Melqart became the storm itself… that's not something I can simply blow up."

"And the [Warrior] will help?" Erica inquired.

"The Golden Sword can cut divinity, remember?" Naruto smirked. "If I can cut Melqart from his power, it will be a lot easier to kill him."

"And even if he survives, if you cripple his power he won't be able to sink a chunk of Italy." Erica added.

"The problem though, is that it's not answering to me." Naruto scowled. "Most of the incarnations have two ways to activate, the incantation or as reaction to something happening to me."

"Oh?" Erica asked curiously.

"The [Camel] activates when I'm injured, the [Raptor] when I'm about to be hit by something moving really fast… I think the [Bull] does when I'm facing something physically stronger than me… but the [Warrior]… it's missing something." Naruto growled in frustration.

"Well…" Erica mused thoughtfully "What do you know about Melqart's origins? If you're to cut his divinity, you must be aware of the source of his power."

"Hm, I read a bit about him from a book at Lucretia's place, but not much…" Naruto focused on that knowledge and grinned when the [Warrior] responded a bit, though not fully. "It's working, though I don't know enough apparently."

"I'll tell you as much as I know later. For now, let's get some rest." Erica advised.

 _Timeskip – next afternoon_

Naruto was distinctly _not_ amused, and Kurama's snickering within his mind was _not_ helping.

Normally, we would have been thrilled to have a beauty such as Erica drape herself over him, hold hands with him and occasionally give him a kiss on the cheek.

Today, that was not the case for a simple reason: it was all an act.

After he had chatted with Melqart the previous evening, he had used his Sage Mode to check if the god had left anyone or anything to spy on him for whatever reason and while he was calmed down on that front, he also discovered another mage on the same ship as them. A bit of genjutsu to make him fall asleep – thank you Isobu for your illusory mist! – and use of the Human path later, he was identified as Walter Zamparini, the Commander-in-Chief of the Mage Association Panormos… as well as the Mafia Godfather of the Sicilian Mafia.

His reasons for being on the ferry were simple, keep an eye on the new Campione and enter his service, thus acquire an immense amount of political power. That was all well and good, nothing new in the world, though there was a slight hitch in Zamparini's plan, named Erica Blandelli… and she had to go, either willingly or through an unfortunate accident.

Understandably, both Naruto and Erica were quite put out with that information… and contemplated Kurama's suggestion to destroy Panormos more than it was healthy… but in the end they had a plan.

Hence why Erica was now posing as his lover. Thankfully, as they spent most of the day in public their less then lovely-dovely behavior – at least on Naruto's part – could be excused as common decency and Naruto's supposed Asian heritage with their social taboos for public behavior – which the blond in truth knew almost nothing about and cared even less.

Despite the stress of keeping up the act, having had the chance to plan it ahead of time allowed them to relax somewhat as they spend most of the day sight-seeing the various tourist attractions, morbidly wondering how much of the place will be left in once piece once the battle with Melqart was over.

Finally, evening came and with it a delicious dinner at Zamparini's mansion who had graciously offered to host them. And afterwards…

" _Well, this is awkward."_ Naruto though with a fixed smile as he watched the ten maids Zamparini had sent to serve them – or rather spy on them – wash the completely naked Erica.

The girls had been initially sent out by the Italian Great Knight with the excuse that only she may touch Naruto's body, and as such she would be the one to undress him, but soon after they had been left wearing only towels in the large roman bath the maids dressed in near transparent sheer fabrics returned and proceeded to wash Erica's nude body, taking away the towel the hid what was left of her modesty.

" _And what a body it is…"_ Naruto gulped as he made sure to burn the image in his mind with his active Sharingan hid behind a Henge.

Her gracefully shaped breasts, voluminous yet perky, did not show any impression of sagging. On the other hand, those rosy flower buds, on the front of her breasts, exuded such purity and loveliness. Her waist was extremely taut and without the slightest fat. Furthermore, that round voluptuous body part below the waist traced out a most wondrous curve. In addition, Erica's pale complexion was unparalleled. Immersed in the steam of the bath, her alabaster skin showed a tint of redness against its pristine paleness.

"Hoho, Naruto is so… You've clearly seen me so many times and yet you still gaze upon me with such crazed and intense eyes. This passion of yours is what I find truly adorable." Erica spoke, smiling as she endured Naruto's gaze.

"What can I say, I can't get enough of your beauty." Naruto grinned, valiantly suppressing a blush, something Kurama was _not_ helping with. _"Damn you, at least wait until I can hide in the water!"_ he mentally groaned, acutely aware that not just Erica but each and every one of the maids had noticed the erection he was unsuccessfully trying to conceal.

After what felt like an eternity, it was finally time to get into the water and after a few minutes of kisses that absolutely ignored each-other's mouth and Erica rubbing her breasts against his arm and chest, they kicked out the maids under the excuse that they wanted to 'enjoy themselves'.

A minute later, after both of them had used their various methods to ensure they were not being spied on, they separated and sank into the water to the point that only their heads were above water level, just enough to show their tomato-red blushes of embarrassment, blushed that reached atomic level whenever their eyes met.

Coupled with being soaked in the hot water for so long, it was not surprise they were both close to fainting.

Later that night, the two of them were resting in the same room, in the same bed, under the same blanket after Erica's declaration that it would seem unnatural if two lovers were not sleeping together, thus shooting down Naruto offer to sleep on the couch.

That was not what bothered Naruto at the moment. No, the source of his discomfort were the sobs that coming from Erica's side of the bed.

"Erica, are you crying?" Naruto asked awkwardly.

"...I-Impossible, I'm just a little sad over my loss of purity, that's all." His fellow blonds reply came in a somewhat exhausted voice.

"W-What loss of purity, in actual fact, we didn't really do anything!" Naruto stuttered with a bit of panic _"Kurama, did I hit my head and lose some of my memory or something?"_

" _ **I'm drawing a blank here too."**_

"You're such an idiot! For me, my completely naked body was seen by you. Acts that no virgin should engage in have taken place, and even now, I am sharing a bed with you; furthermore, the things we've done are known to many others!" she growled.

"…Want me to get rid of the witnesses?" Naruto offered.

This momentarily froze Erica before she finally turned to look him in the eye.

"By 'get rid', you mean…" she began nervously.

"Wipe their memories." Naruto deadpanned. "Mafia or not, I'm not going to kill them all and get rid of the bodies."

"Oh." Erica blinked, some relief in her tone.

"Just because I'm a ninja by profession, that doesn't automatically make me an assassin, you know." The whiskered blond grumbled. "Hell, in the five years I've been a ninja, I've only killed a handful or so of humans, and some of them didn't really qualify as alive." He muttered.

"Really? How so?" Erica blinked.

"Well, Kakuzu was an old guy that survived by implanting himself with organs from other people, like five hearts…" Naruto trailed off. "You know what, let's not talk about this right now. Give the word, and I'll make sure nobody in this city will remember more than us being here."

"…I'll think about it." Erica smiled slightly. "Still… you don't seem nearly as embarrassed as I expected. Aren't Japanese supposed to be more shy?"

"First of all, I'm not Japanese. I just live there." Naruto pointed out. "And secondly, you're not the first gorgeous naked woman I've seen. You're hot, but you don't have anything I haven't seen or had before."

"You…!" Erica blushed brightly. "I take it you're not a virgin?"

"Nope. My godfather talked me into losing my virginity during my training trip." Naruto admitted, discretely reinforcing his body with chakra for her inevitable eruption. "Said something about being more confident afterwards and not getting distracted by naked flesh. I suppose he had a point, it would be embarrassing if a female assassin could distract me long enough to kill me just by flashing her…"

"Wait, what did you mean by 'had'? You said I don't have anything you've haven't had before…" Erica noticed.

"Ah, that." Naruto nervously scratched the back of his head. "Er, well…"

"Talk." Erica ordered with a predatory gleam in her eye.

"Well, where I come from we have a jutsu called Henge that let's use assume a different appearance. It's not something we use much since it's easy to detect and see through by higher ranked ninja… but I came up with a different use for it…. as a distraction." Naruto chuckled nervously.

"Oh, do you think it would work on Heretic Gods?" Erica blinked.

"Er, depends." Naruto muttered.

"On what?"

"On how perverted they are?" the Godslayer answered.

"…Show me." Erica decided as she turned her full focus onto her bedmate.

"Er, I don't think…" Naruto hesitated.

"If you do that, I'll consider forgiving you for violating my naked body with your eyes." Erica said flatly yet in a devious manner.

"Deal!" Naruto was quick to accept _**"Oiroke not Jutsu!"**_ he called out as soon as he placed his hands in a Ram Handseal.

A puff of smoke later, a naked buxom female version of Naruto was on the bed next to Erica, causing the Italian girl to blush brightly as her eyes widened in shock.

"Cat caught your tongue, Erica-chan?" the naked female teased in a purring voice, making the mage blush brighter.

Acting spontaneously, Erica reached out and grabbed one of 'her' breasts and was astonished that it was not a mere illusion like she had expected, but an actual physical transformation. Pulling back her hand with a yelp once she registered what she was doing, she looked away with an atomic blush before Naruto resumed his normal form.

"W-We shall never speak of this again." Erica stuttered.

"Agreed." Naruto shot back.

…

"We're not going to get any sleep tonight, are we?" he sighed.

"Doubtfully." Erica admitted.

"Well, I suppose that's fine. With all the excitement today, we never got around to you teaching me more about Melqart's origins." He pointed out.

"That's right!" the Great Knight realized in shock. "Let's get to it immediately!" she decided.

Over the next few hours, Erica lectured him about various aspects that Melqart had, such as Baal Hadad and Beelzebub, and it seemed to be working… to an extent, anyway.

"I don't get it, what are we missing?" Naruto scowled.

"I don't know… unless!" her eyes widened.

"You got something?" Naruto pressed.

"Can you tell me about the influences of ancient Sumerian civilizations on the origins of the Ugaritic pantheon headed by Baal?" she inquired.

"The what pantheon?" Naruto blinked.

"How about the Phoenicians, Canaanites and Hebrews who worshiped Baal and equivalently Melqart as their chief deity? Do you understand what roles these groups played between the ancient orient and the Mediterranean?" Erica pressed.

"Nope, you didn't teach me anything about that… and I've only been in this world for a few months now, remember?" Naruto reminded her.

"That must be it!" Erica decided. "Right now, you've only memorized the concise origins, but you have yet to understand the god's true nature and process of development. That is why you're unable to use the golden sword…"

"I don't suppose you can teach me all that in a day or so." Naruto grimaced.

"Are you stupid? Even if you spend two hundred times the time, it's impossible!" Erica exclaimed.

"…Well, I like Italy while it lasted." Naruto sighed.

"Hey, hey, don't give up on it already!" Erica scowled.

"I'm not giving up… it's just, it's gonna be real tough to even hit Melqart if he becomes the wind itself. How do you kill the wind?" Naruto scowled. _"Well, Matatabi's flames will hopefully help."_

"Well, there's [Instruction] magic, which can pour knowledge into the mind in very short time... It will be much more practical and efficient in comparison." Erica spoke considerably.

"Eh? Such convenient magic exists!?" Naruto exclaimed.

"Yes. Although it's a spell which only maintains its effects for half a day or so, it does allow an entire library of books' worth of knowledge to be transmitted without issue. However, there remains the fact that you are a Campione." Erica sighed.

"Right… magic-proof." Naruto deflated.

"…That's not entirely true." Erica corrected, blushing. "You're almost immune just to magic applied externally. If applied internally… it would work fine."

"Er, you're not talking about injections, are ya?" Naruto asked nervously. "Cause, I have this allergy to needles…"

"I mean orally… mouth to mouth." Erica blushed, wondering why the hell she was even mentioning this. There was no way she would… even for him….

"Oh, as in a kiss?" Naruto blushed somewhat. "Well, I suppose that's loads better than the method I came up with." He said with some relief.

"Oh, and what is that?" Erica asked morbidly.

"Human Path of the Rinnegan." Naruto answered succinctly.

"Rinnegan?" Erica repeated. "Samsara Eye?"

"Yeah, these eyes." He activated the infamous Dojutsu for her to see.

"…What can they do?" she asked, staring into the peculiar orbs in awe.

"A lot of things." Naruto said evasively "The Human Path though allows me to read minds by grabbing the souls of people. It's how I leaned about Zamparini's plans yesterday."

"Then you can use that on me and…" Erica began.

"I won't be able to stop at just learning about Melqart, Erica. I would see ALL your memories." Naruto admitted.

"Oh." Erica gulped.

"And that's even ignoring the danger of me accidentally pulling your soul from your body, killing you." He shook his head. "No, it's not an option, I would rather face Melqart without the Golden Sword."

"You used it on Zamparini." Erica pointed out absently, trying to rationalize how he would rather risk getting killed by a Heretic God then risk harming her.

"Zamparini was a dubious character that was stalking us and may have intended to attack like Bianchi did." Naruto shrugged. "You though, you're my friend. There's no way I'm risking harming you!" he declared with conviction.

Erica said nothing for a while, merely observing how passionate he was about keeping her out of harm's way. After an internal battle though…

" _Oh, to hell with it!"_ the Italian blonde sighed. _"If I were to be honest with myself, what we did in the bath was pretty much second base in dating. Compared to that, a kiss is like taking a step back to first base. I can live with that…"_ she decided before becoming more somber _"Besides, if Naruto fails to slay or at least drive off Melqart, the Divine King will sink Sardinia and Sicily and then move to do so with his other former territories, and there's no telling if Lord Salvatore or any of the other Campione will show up in time to prevent it. Will Melqart proving himself such an obvious threat, it's certain that he would be hunted down and killed by the Campione, but if Naruto does not succeed soon, there's no telling how many will die."_

"Erica, you okay?" Naruto spoke up, looking at her curiously.

"Yes, I am fine." Erica smiled. "I-I have decided to lend my aid to you this one time. Be-Be grateful!" she stuttered slightly as she blushed while leaning towards Naruto.

"Eh?" the whiskered blond managed to say before his lips were covered by Erica's own.

 _Timeskip – next day, on route to Soluntum_

Having been once more contacted by Melqart and invited to head east, Erica was quick to inform him about the ruins if the old Phoenician outpost Soluntum after which they had Zamparini send scouts to the area. Soon enough, confirmation of the god's presence was received and Naruto and Erica boarded a BWM driven by Zamparini himself which would take them to the site of the battle.

Before reaching the actual place though, Erica had the Mafioso Mage stop and she got off with two of Naruto's clones.

"Remember the plan, I will keep an eye from a distance and provide support if necessary." The Italian Great Knight reminded him.

"'Kay, I'm counting on you." Naruto gave her a thumbs-up before Zamparini drove off.

Soon after, they reached the ruins themselves and they got out of the car, Naruto's recently implanted Phoenician knowledge allowing him to recognize the symbols of the sky god Melqart here and there… and then he felt it.

" **Huhahaha! We finally meet again, young god-slayer!"** Manifesting tangibly as violent winds, fierce rain, and scorching lightning and thunder in the air, the sky god Melqart was making his appearance in the form of the storm.

"You called me here, didn't ya?" Naruto pointe out with an excited grin.

" **Well said! Come, it is now time for battle. Show me what an immature god-slayer can do!"** Melqart declared before unleashing massive gales of wind towards Naruto, blowing away the old man at his side while the blond remained steady on his feet, chakra allowing him to stick to the ground without trouble.

"Che!" Naruto grumbled and created a Kage Bunshin that went to find and take Zamparini to safety… before he disappeared just in time with a Shunshin to avoid the blast of lightning that blackened the ground he had been standing on, reappearing on top of a small hill.

" **Ho, you are good at running away at least!"** Melqart taunted.

"You have a point, time to strike back!" Naruto exclaimed before spell words began to pour from his lips _**"Heed the power of my words, let justice reveal itself, under the strength and eloquence of this incantation, for strength is ever victorious, for strength is the answer to all things!"**_ he incanted as a large golden sword manifested itself in his outstretched hands while the ground beneath him began to change unto a reddish-golden and spread out with every word he uttered.

" **So this is the Authority you usurped from Verethragna!"** Melqart exclaimed.

"That's right!" Naruto grinned even wider at the assumption that the Sword as all he got from the God of Victory. _**"Melqart is a god born in the ancient Middle East. Baal is his true name. He was originally the [Sky] - the god worshiped by primitive nomadic tribes who tended to sheep and lived upon them. In ancient times, people viewed this god as the infinite unbounded sky itself!"**_ he uttered, with every world several tiny spheres of golden light manifested, more and more _**"Central Asian nomadic tribes - such as the Mongolians, also deified the [Sky] in a similar manner. However, Baal, and equivalently, Melqart belongs to the Middle East... A god born in the land of the orient. He is not simply a god of the sky, for he has one greatest attribute. Namely, the god of the [Rainy Season]!"**_ he continued as his surroundings were flooded increasingly more golden orbs.

" **Do not think that I will stand idle while you prepare, youngling!"** Melqart roared. _**"O Wind, O Rain, O Thunder! By Melqart's true name of Baal Hadad, I summon! O Storm, listen to the calls of the cloud rider, make haste and come!"**_ he incanted as the outline of the massive god that had been barely visible beforehand faded to fully become the storm.

" _ **In the land of the Middle East where the dry and the rainy seasons are distinct and separate, 'storms' only arrive during the rainy season. Accompanied by the raging wind of cyclones and land sinking from the pouring rain, lightning descends from the sky. Nevertheless, because storms bring rainwater - without the benefits brought by this water, plants and animals, and even humans would certainly fail to survive. Though your 'storms' cause the death of many, it is also the nourishment of life!"**_ Naruto spoke, pouring more and more power into the Golden Sword in his hands, through it empowering the golden orbs floating around him and as his Rinnegan eyes bearing six tomoe each saw an accumulation of power to his right he swiftly swung the sword that way, sending a wave of the golden orbs to block and then shred through the blast of razor winds that Melqart sent his way, a moment later jumping backwards as he slashed upwards, cutting through the massive purplish lightning bolt with the Golden Sword in his hands.

A pause followed before his eyes widened as he felt and saw a veritable dome of razor winds collapsing towards him, backed up by dozens of lightning bolts. Focusing in the golden orbs that surrounded him, he willed them to intercept and was pleased to see the two Authorities achieve mutual destruction.

" **Hmph! So you have some skill with that blade."** Melqart remarked. **"'Very well, god-slayer! I too shall call upon my weapons to engage you who has drawn your sword.** _ **O Yagrush, O Ayamur, the cloud rider Baal summons you two!**_ **"** he chanted and responding to his commands, the magic club Yagrush flew out of empty space. Following in succession, the one flying out from the thunderclouds was naturally Ayamur. _**"'Yagrush the Chaser, Ayamur the Driver! Charging swiftly, flying swiftly, sweep everything away!"**_

" _ **You are the sky god of storms worshiped by the nomadic tribes. These people soon started to engage agricultural settlers who worshiped gods of the land and the sea, eventually subjugating them with overwhelming military might!"**_ Naruto decided to further empower his sword, increasing the currently diminished number of golden orbs _**"The gods of the land and the sea worshiped by farmers who lived in villages and towns, were indeed symbolized by the sacred beast, the [Dragon]. Hence, Baal, and equivalently Melqart, is the hunter of dragons! Becoming the enemy of settled peoples, you took on the appearance of a savage giant who vanquished dragons. Thereafter, the coarse savage began ruling as [King], as tyrannical as the storms. This is Baal, or in other words, Melqart's true nature!"**_ he finished 'forging' the Golden Sword.

With that, he willed about half of the golden orbs to intercept the two clubs clad in winds and lightning that were heading straight at him at blurring speeds from opposite directions… and was nearly squashed like a pancake between them when they blasted through his golden orbs like wet tissue.

"The heck was that?" Naruto yelped, having barely managed to flicker away with a _**Shunshin**_ to avoid a messy death, glaring at the two clubs that were spinning in the air after impacting and ricocheting off each-other before heading straight at him once more.

Narrowing his eyes, he formed a Kage Bunshin with active Sharingan Eyes and _**Shunshined**_ away leaving the clone with a tenth of his remaining golden orbs. Seconds later after the clubs had destroyed the carefully observing clone, Naruto frowned at the memories he received.

"So that how you're doing it!" the blond exclaimed. "You're coating the clubs in your wind and lightning that my Sword can cut… but what isn't it working on the Clubs as well? They're your Authority too, aren't they?"

" **Ha, so you noticed!"** Melqart laughed. **"Yagrush and Ayamur are the divine artifacts forged by the god of craftsmen, Kothar-wa-Khasis. These weapons which I wield, are also infused with that god's divine qualities! Hence, the spell words you brat has prepared - the spell words meant for slicing Melqart only cannot sever them!"** the Divine King explained smugly. **"If the true wielder Verethragna was here instead, he would have added the spell words for slaying Kothar-wa-Khasis and broken my weapons like he did during our previous battle. Hoho... That must be beyond your limits, brat!"** he taunted.

"Is that so…" Naruto's eyes narrowed while inwardly he was smirking. _"So I can't destroy the clubs with the Sword? Big deal! I have other ways to blast those! It's the Storm that I'm worried about since that's what's keeping him untouchable. Let's try this then…"_ he mused as he saw the wind and lightning clad clubs coming his way again.

This time though, as he retreated he left behind all of his remaining golden orbs. Unlike before, however, they did not rush to take the clubs head on. Rather, they flowed _around_ the clubs, shredding their wind and lightning coating that was not only making them more powerful but also increased their speed, before spreading out into the sky at every accumulation of Melqart's divine power Naruto could see with his Rinnegan.

" **Gah! So this was your plan!"** Melqart exclaimed as the 15-meter-tall Heretic God appeared fully physical on the ground. **"You wished to take away mine Storm! Not bad, youngling, not bad at all! But you were reckless! Your Sword is no more!"**

And he was right as moments after Melqart's Storm had been sealed away Naruto's Golden Sword shattered.

" **What shall you do now, Godslayer?"** Melqart taunted. **"I still have mine treasures and strength…"**

"Do not hesitate, Naruto!" Erica called out, arriving with the two Kage Bunshin he had entrusted her to, both of whom were in Sage Mode. "Here, there is nobody you need to worry about getting caught in the crossfire. Go all out!"

"You got it!" Naruto grinned fiercely. _**"May his spine be crushed; may his bones be broken, his tendons torn, his hair ripped from his skull; may his blood, spilled over the earth, be churned into a bloody froth. I shall become one who buries fangs into the sinner's flesh, that the will of the Lord be followed: Thou shalt be purged!"**_ he commanded as the Boar manifested before the massive god and tried to impale him with its tusks, only to be smacked away by the quickly summoned **Yagrush**.

It was not as easy as Melqart wanted, however, as the Boar was relentless and fully willing take some bruises and broken bones as long as it got to ravage its target.

Within seconds, Melqart was forced to use his great strength to hold the Boar down after he had managed to climb onto it's back, commanding the two Divine Club Weapons to hammer into the Boar wherever they found an opening.

Things were begging to look grim for the Boar and Naruto, especially when a buzzing began to be heard from the sky.

"What the hell? Bugs?!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Locusts! Servants of Beelzebub!" Erica blanched at the massive clouds of hundreds of thousands, maybe even millions of locusts perfectly capable on tearing the flesh from their bones. _**"Eli Eli lama sabachthani? Oh Lord, why hast thou forsaken me?"**_ she raised her voice and chanted the spell words of her trump card, the Golgotha spell _**"O my God, I cry in the day time, but thou hearest not; and in the night season, and am not silent. But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel!"**_

By now, a terrifying aura was palpable around her, one of anguish and despair.

" _ **O my strength, haste thee to help me! I will declare thy name unto my brethren: in the midst of the congregation will I praise thee!"**_ she held the sword towards the sky and the blade seemed to soak in the terrifying aura like a sponge. _**"For the sake of maintaining order in Rome, the Senate decreed the suspension of imperium! Senatus consultum ultimum, hereby decreed!"**_ she commanded as the sword transformed into a chain that surrounded her and Naruto in a barrier leaving the clones to fend for themselves.

"An offensive barrier, huh?" Naruto muttered, his Rinnegan seeing how the Golgotha spell which can harm even gods had been infused into the barrier – it reminded him of the _**Shishienjin**_ that the Sound Four had used to trap the Sandaime Hokage with Orochimaru. "How long can it hold?" Naruto asked, noticing her strain.

"Against a god of this power…? Maybe two minutes." Erica admitted.

"Plenty." The whiskered blond grinned as the felt the locusts kill the clones, sending the accumulated Sage Chakra to him, turning his Rinnegan golden as he entered the Six Paths Sage Mode. He then created another Bunshin and both began to chant simultaneously.

" _ **Tree of Life that feeds on the blood of war, One Eyed God from which beasts are born, grant onto me your Divine Fruit!"**_ the clone chanted.

" _ **For victory, hasten forth before me! O Immortal Sun, I beseech thee to grant radiance to the stallion."**_ Naruto chanted.

" _ **I shroud myself in the power of the Kyubi!"**_ the cloned finished as orange tinted golden power erupted from it, engulfing both Naruto and Erica before taking the form of a massive spectral Kurama that towered over even Melqart. Immediately, the clone which was in the frontal part of the head began to form a Biijudama as tall as he was in the mouth of the fox.

" _ **O Stallion that moveth godlike with wondrous grace, bringest forth the halo of thy master!"**_ Naruto finished his own incantation causing a seconds Sun to appear in the sky before descending in the form of a horse made of fire towards Melqart who was suddenly holding thin air, the Boar having been replaced on the battlefield by the White Stallion.

" **What?!"** Melqart managed to say.

" **Biijudama!"** the spectral Kurama roared as it sent the black ball of death straight at the Heretic God.

Both attacks, the White Stallion and the Tailed Beast Bomb reached the god at relatively the same time, causing a massive explosion of burning death to engulf the entire area, incinerating all it touched other than the three safely within the protection of the Avatar Form of the Kurama Incarnation of Naruto's first Authority.

It took a few minutes, but the flames died out and revealed the devastated landscape – or crater to be more exact – that had replaced the Phoenician ruins that were there not an hour before.

"You know… when I said you didn't need to hold back… I did not mean that you should go out of your way to destroy more of Italy!" Erica stared wide-eyed at the devastation as her companion dismissed the spectral fox and the clone.

"Hey, there's no kill like overkill!" Naruto grinned before his amusement dimmed as his Rinnegan caught something. "And it was apparently not enough."

"What?" Erica's head snapped towards her fellow blond who was glaring at thin air.

" _ **Amaterasu."**_ Naruto whispered as his eyes took their Mangekyo Sharingan form before his right began to bleed as black flames erupted from it and within moments engulfed what he had seen, causing Melqart's screams of agony to be heard for a few seconds before he was silenced, the flames fading away once their fuel had been exhausted.

Feeling something enter his being, Naruto closed his eyes and focused on the mass of power which condensed into what he vaguely recognized as one of Melqart's Authorities.

"Now it's over." Naruto sighed in relief before giving Erica a grin. "Victory!" he held a V sign.

In response, Erica could not help but chuckle and shake her head with a relieved smile.

 **A.N.: Here it is, the battle you have been waiting for! I hope you enjoyed it. I know I've relied quite a bit on the Light Novel material and used the minimum of ninja powers, but for all that Naruto prefers to use only a limited number of jutsu, namely summoning and Rasengan variants, when he gets a new one he can't help himself from trying it out, like a kid with a new toy.**

 **I mean, look at the fight with Kakuzu. He could have spawned Kage Bunshin and have them all bombard Kakuzu with regular Rasengan. Instead, he kept trying with the Rasenshuriken until he got it right.**

 **Same thing here: he got a new Authority that has as full set of ten Incarnations and just HAD to try them out.**

 **Regarding the Authorities themselves, as the majority of my readers had asked me to keep the suspense going I will only list what had appeared so far.**

 **[Persian Warlord] – Ten Incarnations of Verethragna.**

 **This Authority is pretty much identical to cannon, only difference is that if Naruto replaces an Incarnation in use with another one rather than let the first run its course and then use a second Incarnation, he can later call upon that first Incarnation without the 24 hour wait.**

 **[Tails of the Shinju] –** _ **"Tree of Life that feeds on the blood of war, One Eyed God from which beasts are born, grant onto me your Divine Fruit!"**_

 **This Authority allows Naruto to call upon the power of the Tailed Beasts or even summon he Biiju themselves in some cases.**

 **So far:**

[ **Shukaku** ] / [One-Tailed Tanuki] – Passive: Magnet Release, Wind Release, Earth Release, Cursed Seals

– Active: Summon

[ **Kurama** ] / [Nine-Tailed Kitsune] – Passive: Regeneration, Yin-Yang Release

– Active: Summon, Avatar Form, Divine Protection of the Demon Fox

 **The Passive powers are active at all times for Naruto, only becoming unavailable when the Authority or at least a specific Incarnation is sealed for one reason or another. The active powers need to be called on using the Incantation.**

 **As for the Authority he just got from Melqart… I'm keeping it secret until he uses it.**

 **Hope you enjoyed, if so please leave a review.**


	4. Chapter 4

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own Naruto or Campione. Naruto is the property of Masashi Kishimoto and Campione is the property of Takedzuki Jou.

 _Italics text = character thinking to themselves._

 _Underline+Italics = character communicating with telepathy_

 **Bold text = shouting**

 _ **Bold+Italcs = Casting Spell/Ability**_

 **Chapter Four**

 **Sixth versus Seventh**

Naruto was in Hell.

Well, his vision of Hell, anyway.

Around here though, people called it… School.

High-School, to be precise.

Why did he see it as Hell? Surprisingly enough, it was not because the teachers were picking on him like it happened in the Konoha Ninja Academy, nor was it because the other students were ostracizing him for reasons he was unaware of.

There were two big reasons for his view of the educational facility.

One, he already knew everything he was being taught in class, either due to the knowledge dump via the Six Paths Sage from the previous Hokage – you would not believe how much math it takes to properly calculate the more complex sealing arrays – or due to the memories he had absorbed via the Human Path from various people after he had just arrived in this world, one of them being a former university teacher. Add Naruto's idea of burning into his mind all his textbooks via the Sharingan – which made him curse the Uchiha, as this certainly explained why all of them were supposedly geniuses: The Sharingan made sure they never forgot what they saw – and it left the whiskered blond deadly bored in his classes. He was by no stretch a top student – his attention span alone saw to that – but even if he did not fully understand everything he had memorized, the fact remained that attending any class that involved lectures was pretty much a waste of his time.

Secondly, there were the girls… or rather _fangirls_. Apparently, despite his Asian features he was seen as a Gajin, a foreigner, or at least half by the student population due to his sunny blond hair and tanned skin, which apparently made him the object of interest to many girls. Ironic, considering foreigners were usually ostracized to a degree. Add his whisker birthmarks which gave him an exotic air and he had dozens of girls out to get him.

Of course, it was not his appearance Naruto was blaming for his troubles with women. – after all, he had looked relatively the same all his life in Konoha and this had never happened. So he did not see his own charisma as responsible – in large part due to being oblivious to having any. No, what he blamed was the Uchiha. This had never happened to him before he got Sasuke and Obito's ocular powers, thus that automatically made them responsible for his headaches. Clearly, the Sharingan was the reason why Sasuke and possibly every other Uchiha had had been cursed with fangirls.

It made perfect sense, after all, Kakashi also had quite a following and Naruto could not see any other way besides this curse of the Sharingan for that perverted slacker to be so popular with women.

That being said, he was not seeing any escape from it anytime soon. Unless he was willing to start using a Henge fulltime to avoid truancy officers, he had to grin and bear it for three years. Who knows, maybe somewhere in all the knowledge he got from the Nidaime Hokage there's something that will get his Kage Bunshin to attend the boring classes for him – which his rebellious clones outright refused to do, choosing to play hooky or outright dispel rather than bear the classes.

There were some upsides, of course, which made the classes at least somewhat bearable.

The first, of course, was the inability of his teachers to see through genjutsu, allowing him to use his Sharingan to _persuade_ the teacher to ignore him, same with his classmates in the immediate vicinity so that nobody would comment on him napping in class.

Secondly, he did not have to bear it alone, as while a year younger and thus in the last year of middle-school, Shizuka was also attending Jounan Academy. So the past couple weeks since the term began had not been as bad as they could have been. He even introduced him to some of her fellow tea ceremony club members, such as kind and beautiful Yuri Mariya that reminded him somewhat of Hinata.

As he was returning home with Shizuka, already planning his weekend training regime, they found themselves facing four well-built European men wearing masks that hid the upper-half of their faces. Behind them, three more appeared, effectively cutting their escape considering they were on a bridge.

"Can I help you?" Naruto asked, extending his senses a bit and feeling some magic from them.

Rather than reply to the question, the leader of the group – who was also the only black skinned among them – turned to one of his underlings and gave an instruction in Italian.

Fortunately for Naruto and most unfortunately for the seven men, Campione had a gift with learning new languages. Despite not knowing anything about the Latin tongue on his arrival in Italy, by the time he had returned to Calgary after slaying Verethragna he could understand it perfectly and speak it almost like a local.

As such, he had no issue in hearing…

"You take care of the girl."

Naruto's eyes narrowed dangerously.

 _Timeskip – half hour later, at a nearby park_

Naruto and Shizuka were sitting on a bench under shade, occasionally taking a sip from the canned juice they had bought from a vending machine not ten feet away. By their appearance alone, one would take them for a couple out on a date or classmates hanging out, considering they were still wearing their school uniforms.

It was only after taking in the seven men, bruised black and blue, with swollen eyes and lips, stripped to their underwear and tied like piñatas from trees in a perfect line facing the two teenagers, that one would begin to understand the real situation.

"So you were sent because of Salvatore Doni." Naruto mused, receiving pained nods from the men. "Who's that?"

"W-Who's…?" the leader of the tied up mages asked incredulously.

"He's that blond idiot from the airport in Palermo." Shizuka spoke up.

"Blond idiot…" Naruto blinked and thought of that day, doing his best to ignore Kurama's jibes about there being _another_ blond idiot to keep count of now.

 _Flashback – day after the battle with Melqart_

Despite the massive amounts of property damage, things were wrapped up pretty easily in the aftermath of Melqart's return to his Myth.

It had taken them only a few minutes to find Zamparini considering Naruto's clone was still with him, and just an hour for Naruto to get the old man to the Hospital, the impact from Melqart's gale-force winds having led to some broken bones for the Mafioso. That being said, his life was in no danger and he would make a quick and complete recovery thanks to the healing magic available to his association.

On Naruto and Erica's part, while not exactly exhausted they had chosen to retire to their room to rest for the remainder of the day. The next morning though, bright and early, they at the airport where not only would Erica be seeing Naruto off, but he would also meet up with Shizuka in order to return to Japan together, the younger girl having been accompanied by Lucretia who wished to congratulate Naruto for his slaying of two gods in the same week.

While they were chatting as they waited to embark for the plane to Tokyo, a handsome blond with a tall and tightly sculpted physique and easygoing air approached them.

"It must be you. You're the seventh. Not bad, you're even younger than me back then." The man commented.

"It's been a while, Sir Salvatore... And your reason for coming to Sicily is?" Erica respectfully greeted.

"Ah, it's been a while, you must be Ellen Ivanovic, right? Oh my, actually I was still in Argentina until a few days ago." boldly getting names wrong, the young man continued unconcerned "I was suddenly informed that a [Heretic God] had appeared so I hastily made my way back to Europe. But then all transportation to Sardinia was stopped due to the heavy storm. I went to Sardinia as soon as the storm calmed down. I asked the local associations many questions, about the gods that had appeared and the god who was reassembled and reportedly defeated by the seventh. It seemed a shame to return just like that, so I came over here to meet my new kin." He grinned towards Naruto who responded with a grin of his own.

" _So this guy is a Campione, huh?"_ Naruto mused.

"Indeed. Then allow me to make introductions. This young man, Naruto Uzumaki, is indeed the seventh to become king after you, the sixth. The god-slayer who slew warlord Verethragna in Sardinia and the Phoenician divine king Melqart here in Sicily." Lucretia Zola greeted the young man reverently.

"I see. I am Salvatore Doni. Let's get along well from now on!" paying half-hearted attention to Lucretia's introductions, Doni offered his greeting. "So, I've got a minor suggestion, why don't you have a duel with me?"

"Eh?" Naruto blinked. _"Well, that was sudden."_

"Other than gods or our kin, there are no opponents we kings can fight seriously. I'm sure you'll soon find this fact troubling. So, how about a duel to commemorate our first meeting?" Doni pointed out.

"Well…" Naruto began.

"Naruto, our plan is leaving in five minutes." Shizuka spoke up, pinching his elbow.

"Oh, right. we gotta hurry or we'll miss it!" the whiskered blond yelped before turning back towards his fellow Campione "Looks like there's no time left. Let's save it for next time, eh?"

Sent off by Erica and Lucretia, as well as the young man named Doni, Naruto and the youngest Kusanagi started his return journey to Japan.

 _Flashback end_

"Oh yeah, that guy!" Naruto nodded. "I don't know much about him though. Just that he was older than me when he became a Campione… and I think Bianchi mentioned something about Salvatore being great with a sword."

"Sir Salvatore is indeed known as the King of Swords, the greatest swordsman in the world." The leader of the mages confirmed.

"So, what does he want with me?" Naruto frowned.

"Our alliance leader, Sir Salvatore, said 'Someone caused a ruckus on my turf' and expressed great anger." The leader of the Italians continued "Sir Salvatore is a warrior amongst warriors. He is a great man who never gives up on a fight whenever a [Heretic God] appears. Hence, he should be angry because his rightful foe was stolen by Uzumaki-sama."

"Warrior amongst warriors, ya say?" Naruto mused, trying to compare the easygoing guy he met at the airport to people like Gai Maito or Zabuza Momochi who in many ways defined his own meaning of the word 'warrior'. "So, you're under that guy's orders to attack me?"

"Yeah… that's right." came the admission.

"And?" Naruto scowled.

"S-Sir Salvatore commanded the [Copper Black Cross] which had helped Uzumaki-sama locally - in other words, our superiors. His orders were to bring Japan's king, Naruto Uzumaki, back to him by any means necessary." The man stuttered under the Campione's glare.

"Eh? You guys are Erica's comrades?" Naruto asked surprised that these glorified thugs were associated to someone as elegant and cultures as Erica Blandelli.

"Not comrades but subordinates from a lower branch of the organization. A group responsible for chores and dirty jobs ordered from above."

"So you are expendable flunkies that they won't really mind losing if Naruto gets pissed off and blasts you to pieces." Shizuka deadpanned.

"Kinda like the Yakuza do things." Naruto nodded sagely. "You know; I would have sooner expected this shit from a Mafia group like old man Zamparini's Panormos rather than Erica's [Copper Black Cross]. What's her take on this? I don't see someone like her organizing such a thing, yet you said she's one of your superiors." He asked.

"Our lady - Dame Blandelli was prosecuted for assisting Uzumaki-sama, and is currently suspended from her position as Great Knight and under house arrest until Sir Salvatore's rage subsides."

As soon as the words left his mouth, the leader of the group of seven found himself unable to draw breath, a malevolent pressure pressing down on him and his comrades. Daring to raise his gaze towards the Seventh Campione, he found himself under the purplish ringed glare of the Rinnegan.

" **What?"**

An hour later, Naruto was laying down on his bed, his mobile phone at his ear waiting for Erica to pick up. He was about to give up and try again later when she finally answered.

"Calling at such a time means that you have become aware of the situation." Were the Italian Great Knight's first words rather than a greeting.

"Hello to you too Erica, how are you. I've been fine, thank you." Naruto deadpanned.

"Really? Even considering the situation?" dry amusement was palpable across the line.

"If you're talking about the flunkies that your association sent over, then I have to disappoint you. The Yakuza in the area are a bigger headache then them." Naruto shrugged. "But since we're on the subject…. What. The. Hell?"

"For the organization's lower branch personnel to be deployed, and to fail the mission regardless of their numbers, such clear mismanagement reflecting poorly on the organization's reputation should normally be impossible. Nevertheless, given that you're calling now, it is only natural to assume you threatened them with a show of absolute force." Erica remarked.

"Not really, I just beat them black and blue to make them more talkative." Naruto admitted. "Didn't use an ounce of my power. That aside, they mentioned a strange order. Can you tell me more about it?"

"It's Salvatore Doni-sama. The sixth Campione. Born in Italy. He is the alliance leader ruling over the magical associations of southern Europe." Erica replied.

"Alliance leader... Something like a big boss that your organization answers to?" Naruto frowned as he processed the information.

"The description lacks elegance, but you are correct. However, Sir Salvatore rules but does not administrate. Rather than ruling through troublesome methods of domination, he keeps southern European magi in line through fear and servitude." She explained.

"That guy? Somehow, I don't see it." Naruto tilted his head curiously.

"That time, he asked you "Let's have a duel?" It was not a joke. He was completely serious. But Naruto refused, so that's the cause." She pointed out.

"…You're kidding me." Naruto blinked.

"Probably because he is interested in the Campione named Naruto Uzumaki and wanted to have a serious fight. But you coldly rejected him..." Erica trailed off.

"Oi, oi, the way you're describing it, it's really strange!"

"There's nothing strange about me. Strange are the things that go through Sir Salvatore's mind." She stated dryly.

"So… he's really an idiot like you said at Bianchi's place. And this is his temper tantrum." Naruto concluded in disbelief. "Why is your group following someone like that?"

"It cannot be helped. Because he is a Campione. Undoubtedly, he is the god-slaying warrior! Furthermore, stupidity and magnanimity are not mutually exclusive." Erica's serious tone of voice rendered Naruto speechless. "'Indeed, he is a fool foreign to common logic. Nevertheless, he is also a rare hero. Even if all the magi of the world challenged him with all their might, there is no chance of winning against him. The one known as Salvatore Doni, is precisely a monster of that level."

Naruto frowned at her description.

The way she was describing him, it was not dissimilar to how one would see a Kage back home… other than the idiot part… but even so, the Kage were not unbeatable. Having personally met nearly all members of the Akatsuki, he could safely say that there were people in the Elemental Nations that dwarfed even the Kage in power – Madara being at the top of the list, as were Nagato and even Orochimaru.

Here though, it seemed that there were no other humans who could keep the Campione in line. Only the Heretic Gods, and they followed their own interests rather than those of humanity. Something to think on.

"Hey, Naruto, if you intend to dig deeper into this incident - or rather, get involved with us, it's best for you to give up the notion. You should continue living peacefully in Tokyo." Erica suddenly advised.

"Really?" Naruto raised an eyebrow.

"Visits like this one will happen who knows how many times so you should dodge them appropriately. Given your power, even if you encounter trouble, there shouldn't be any difficulties, right?" she explained.

"Oi."

"'Listen well, this is a critical juncture in your life. Everything that happened in Italy is just a dream. Please wipe it clean from your memory and continue living a peaceful life. After the war you've been in, it's best for you." She continued, undaunted. "You managed to escape from Sir Salvatore this time, so here's my greatest advice: do not step foot in Italy - or rather, Europe, ever again." Erica's seriousness could be felt from her solemn diction. "Sir Salvatore simply cannot wait to start a fight should you come. Furthermore, we of the [Copper Black Cross] have also received strict orders to restrain you with all our power. You understand what that means, right?"

"…You would be my enemy as well, right?" Naruto scowled.

"There's no other choice. Even if you are also a Campione and stand on equal terms with Sir Salvatore... We are an Italian association. We have no choice but to prioritize the orders, and especially strict orders, from our alliance leader." Erica spoke indifferently with an emotionless voice. "Hence, I guess our relationship ends here. In fact, my telling you all this would also be considered inappropriate... But no matter, it would be too heartless to go without saying goodbye."

"…Just answer me one question, Erica." Naruto said, closing his eyes.

"…What is it?"

"Is it true what I heard? That because you helped me you were suspended and put under house arrest?" he asked in a monotone.

"…Yes." She admitted. "But…"

"That's all I needed to know. Bye."

"What do you…?"

He did not let he finish, ending the call there and then turning the phone off.

" _ **So… what are you going to do?"**_ Kurama inquired.

"My friend is in trouble for helping me… and that guy thinks I'm running away and is sending thugs after me." Naruto put his arms under his head and stared at the ceiling. "What do you think I should do?"

" _ **You should make it clear to then who Naruto Uzumaki is."**_ Kurama spoke with a feral grin.

"Damn right." Naruto said, mirroring the fox's expression.

Turning his phone back on, he quickly contacted first Lucretia Zola about information on the Sixth Campione and afterwards Walter Zamparini about the state of thigs in Italy.

As far as Salvatore was concerned, thanks to her powers Lucretia could say for certain that the Sixth Campione had slain no less than four Heretic Gods, however she knew for sure the identities of only two of them: Nuadha of the Tuatha de Danann who's death had led to Doni becoming a Campione, and the Norse Heretic God Siegfried that Doni had essentially poached from another Campione. Because of this, she only knew for sure about the Authorities he had gained from Nuadha, called [Ripping Arm of Silver] which allowed Salvatore to cut through anything with his sword, and from Siegfried, called [Man of Steel] which gives him a body as hard as steel.

She also gave him some background information on the Copper Black Cross which had their headquarters in Milan, such as their relation to the Knights Templar – that she also had to explain to him – and their current commander-in-chief, Paolo Blandelli, Erica's uncle who had raised her as her parents died early in her life.

On Zamparini's side of things, he had more to say.

"The magi of Sicily and Sardinia only publicized your deeds in accordance to Your Highness' orders. Hence, on the Italian mainland, rumors about Naruto Uzumaki are only circulating in an unsubstantiated fashion. The only exception being Erica Blandelli's [Copper Black Cross]." The old man explained, before proceeding to offer the full support of Panormos in Naruto's endeavors.

Naruto had to turn down the first class plane ticket the old Mafioso wished to arrange for him, however. After all, he had better things to do in the hours the flight would take. As such, as soon as he had sealed away the rest of his things in a containment seal on his belt, he activated the Kamui and teleported straight to Milan, using the image of a side-street he had seen on the internet as a guide.

Of course, when he arrived in Italy he did so looking not like Naruto Uzumaki, but rather as Sasuke Uchiha who proceeded to find a nice hotel to settle in before taking to the streets in his usual appearance, Sage Mode activated, and made his way to the headquarters of the Copper Black Cross where he approached a middle-aged woman at the reception.

"Hi, can you deliver a message for me to Paolo Blandelli?" he gave her an eye-smile that would have made Kakashi proud. "Tell him that Naruto Uzumaki is in Millan, but feel free to go around doing their work. If you try to take me to Salvatore Doni though… well, you should treat it like your lives are on the line." He opened one eye to reveal a spinning Sharingan. "Pass that along, will you? Thanks."

With that he tuned and left, utterly ignoring how every mage within earshot had gone deathly pale or how some of them would need a change of pants and underwear. What he did NOT ignore, however, was the security camera that turned to focus on him so he gave it his attention, turning a one-eyed Sharingan glare to it and kept his eye on it as it spun and changed into his Eternal Mangekyo before closing it and turning away.

Taking the subway, he headed towards the center of Milano Centrale and got off at Duomo station, deciding to follow Lucretia's suggestion and do some sightseeing while he waited for things to happen. Apparently, the Duomo di Milano was the world's largest Gothic building – whatever that meant! – and ranked amongst the top tourist locations in the city.

After admiring the sights for a while, he realized he never had dinner back in Tokyo so he headed and got himself a little snack… in the form of three large pizza. It was as he was in the middle of his third that he felt a couple mages arriving in the vicinity and proceed to keep an eye on him.

" _ **You should move your ass to a more open area. Didn't that vixen give you a good spot?"**_ Kurama prodded.

" _Right, just let me finish my snack."_ Naruto agreed and minutes later he was on his way towards Castello Sforzesco which had a very spacious plaza next to Parco Sempione, Milan's top park.

Soon enough he was next to the castle and was about to head into the park when a spike of malicious intent drew his attention towards a large RV that suddenly accelerated and hurtled directly towards Naruto.

Eyeing the rapidly approaching car he considered for all of a moment dodging and letting them drive by… before mentally snorting and proceeding to exert his Sage Mode enhanced strength and defense as he raised his right leg and slammed his heel down on the front of the RV, causing it to topple forwards and fly over him spinning before crashing on its back several meters away.

Casually walking over to the upside-down RV under the disbelieving and awed eyes of the spectators, he leaned down and glanced at the driver.

"Oi, you're with the Copper Association, right?" he inquired with a relaxed grin. Taking the full-body flinch as a 'yes', he continued. "In that case, feel free to let your comrades know that I'll be in the castle." He told them, feeling more and more approaching mages and deciding that wasting time heading towards the park would draw more people into this mess. He turned to leave, only to pause and glance backwards, his grin gone. "Oh, one more thing… I would be pretty fucking pissed off if any of the regular people get caught in the crossfire."

With that, he headed towards the castle as a relaxed pace, leaving behind a middle-aged mage shaking like a leaf.

By the time he had reached the entrance of the castle, the civilians had been evacuated and a number of mages were approaching Naruto… and began to drop like flies under a combination of his killing intent and the sleep genjutsu he was casting on them one by one as the met their eyes with his crimson Sharingan ones.

However, as the number of collapsed mages reached the triple digits, Naruto felt him rapidly approaching from the other side of the castle. As such, activating his Rinnegan and calling on the Preta Path, he turned his back to the handful of remaining conscious mages and relied on his Path to absorb the blasts of fire and wind sent his way and focused his Senjutsu enhanced senses on the rapidly spiking power on the other side of the Castello Sforzesco…

And he took a large step to the left just in time to avoid the blade that cut the entire damn castle in two before being pulled back. He then took another large step to the right to avoid a similar strike. Then he jumped backwards as a third and final, diagonal strike connected the two cuts through the entire castle, causing the top portion between the two initial cuts to collapse inwards.

Seconds later, A blond young man approached through the cloud of dust. His handsome face was slightly familiar. Despite a slender build, he had the body of a trained athlete. Dressed sloppily in a shirt, cargo pants and sneakers, he was carrying a slender cylindrical case on his shoulder.

"It's been a while eh? You're causing quite a riot, aren't you? Naruto Uzumaki, you're exactly the kind of man I imagined!" as soon as their gazes met, Doni began to cackle with laughter.

"So… I hear you're angry because I avoided a duel with you?" Naruto spoke up.

"That's only a lie. I was simply pretending to be angry." Doni admitted, causing his fellow blond to faceplant "But that's how I make everyone do as I wish." He grinned before turning his attention towards the members of the Copper Black Cross… that were still conscious. "My, my, you don't do things by half, do you?" he chuckled.

"Figured it would be easier to put them to sleep then fighting them. No point in doing point pointless damage… like cutting a whole castle in half." Naruto deadpanned as he glanced at the hole.

"It was faster to cut a path through it then go around." Doni shrugged. "But that doesn't matter! Now that you're here we can finally have our duel….!"

"Nope." Naruto refuted.

"Eh!" Doni exclaimed.

"Not in the mood." Naruto shrugged. "Besides, if we fight here all these guys will die."

"Well, we…"

"Besides." Naruto cut him off. "I'm not really interested in fighting you."

"Eh, why not?" Doni whined.

"Well… I haven't seen or heard anything about you to draw my interest." Naruto remarked.

"What?" Doni frowned.

"All I heard is that you're great with a sword and…. Well, that's it." Naruto mused.

"Oho, then I suppose I should draw your attention." Doni smirked.

"You can try." Naruto shrugged. "Either way, I have some other thigs to do in Italy before I can make time to fight you."

"Let's see if I can change your mind, eh?" Doni grinned as he began raising his sword above his head as his power began to spike, signs of activating an Authority.

" _ **Oi, brat…"**_ Kurama began.

" _I know, it's a good opportunity to try_ _ **that**_ _out."_ Naruto agreed as he instantly applied a Henge over his face to make it appear unchanged before he urgently chanted under his breath _**"Tree of Life that feeds on the blood of war, One Eyed God from which beasts are born, grant onto me your Divine Fruit! I shall gaze through the Eyes of the Kaguya!"**_ he uttered and power surged through him, specifically his eyes and forehead, his blue eyes becoming silvery white with bulging veins around them appearing towards his temples, while on his forehead a vertical slit opened to allow the crimson eye covered in a ripple pattern to gaze upon the world, three tomoe on each of the three innermost rings.

The _**Byakugan**_ and he _**Rinne-Sharingan**_.

As he focuses on a specific power he had felt within his third eye, the Sixth Campione began to chant as well, only unlike Naruto he spoke loudly and clearly, a declaration to the heavens themselves.

" _ **I hereby swear, I forbid the existence of things I cannot cut!"**_ Doni incanted causing his right arm to turn silver, the divine power instantly flowing into his sword and infusing it with the property to cut through all.

" _Okay, this was totally worth it."_ Naruto grinned internally as he deactivated the Tails of the Shinju, having achieved part of the goal he had set for this first confrontation with Salvatore Doni.

In the end it was quite simple, really: Doni had an invincible Sword and an invulnerable Body. However, the fact that he had gained the [Man of Steel] from Siegfried meant that his sword had been able to penetrate the Heretic God's own supposedly invulnerable defense. Considering that, in his own experience, the Authorities that Campione had were somewhat weaker or more restricted in use then when used by their originator gods, Doni's [Man of Steel] should be even weaker then Siegfried's, or have some conditions to its use.

So, if he wanted a sure way to beat the idiot that was causing is mess, he needed the [Ripping Arm of Silver] – in other words, it was finally an opportunity to use the Tenth and most powerful incarnation of the Tails of the Shinju: [The Kaguya] / [Ten Tailed Rabbit]. Specifically, it was time to use one of the nine powers available through the Rinne-Sharingan: [Sharingan] / [Authority Copy].

As one would expect from the name, it was a power that allowed him to copy other Authorities. However, just like with like with the normal Sharingan, it had restrictions on what could be copied. Specifically, Naruto had to possess divine power from a god of similar nature as the one from whom the Authority to be copied came from.

In the case of Doni, both Nuadha and Siegfried, the originators of his most frequently used Authorities, were gods of Steel and thankfully Verethragna was the same at his core despite also having Incarnations like the Stallion which was of the Sun.

At the time he had fought Verethragna, Naruto possessed only the divine power of Kaguya, a Mother Earth Goddess in nature, so using the [Sharingan] on the Persian Warlord was a waste of time. Similarly, while Melqart indeed possessed some aspects of Steel – he was the basis for Herakles, after all – the fact remained that at his core he was a god of the Sea and Storms, and as such the whiskered blond had been doubtful the [Sharingan] would work.

Now though, against Doni's Steel-aligned set of Authorities, Naruto had been assured of his success and had no fear of failure – failure that would rendered [Tails of the Shinju] sealed for a day.

Another requirement was that it had to be used as the targeted Authority was being activated, not afterwards when it was in use.

Focusing his attention on the Italian blond before him, Naruto activated his six tomoe Rinnegan… and dodged like hell, still getting a small cut on his sleeve despite the supposed precognitive abilities of the Sharingan that were still available to him even when using the Rinnegan due to the unique nature of Sasuke's Samsara Eyes. A few more seconds and several small yet bleeding cuts on his arms and torso and Naruto decided to cut his losses with the 'blesses eyes', turning them off and instead focusing on what he knew best: his Senjutsu and his Negative Emotions Sensing that remained with him due to integrating Kurama's chakra into his body since before birth.

From there, the frantic dodging from before became much more fruitful, allowing him to begin to understand Doni's sword style – or rather lack of one. And, as reluctant as he was to inflate the idiot's ego, he had to give praise where it was deserved.

"Okay, I stand corrected, you're pretty damn amazing." Naruto said after managing to put some distance between them by using his Senjutsu-enhanced leg strength to create a massive crater just by slamming his foot into the ground under him, making the Sixth Campione unstable on his feet for a few moments. "I've heard some stories about swordsmen with empty styles like you, who instinctively know where and how to cut for the maximum effect… but even my sensei said there's someone like that only once every few generations." He remarked, thinking of his chats with Jiraiya about Orochimaru's sword style which led to the styles used in the Big Five Villages, as well as in the Land of Iron, all the way to legendary sword styles.

"Hoh, you saw that much in just a minute?" Doni's grin widened. "I was right to challenge you, after all!"

"Well, hate to say it but I got to run." Naruto shrugged as he activated his _**Mangekyo Sharingan**_ and prepared to teleport away… only to instinctively dodge back and at the same time activate his dimensional intangibility… only for it to be entirely useless as Doni cut cleanly through his ribs, thankfully not deep enough to reach his heart. _**Mangekyo**_ morphing into _**Rinnegan**_ , he roared _**"Shinra Tensei!"**_ and with a mighty blast of gravity, Doni was shot like a rocket straight at the still standing castle… and through it, causing numerous crashes as he passed through walls and floors and ceilings.

" _ **Okay… so the**_ **[Ripping Arm of Silver]** _ **really can cut through anything… dimensions included."**_ Kurama remarked slowly, trying to process what the hell had just happened.

" _I noticed, thank you!"_ Naruto grimaced as before spell words began spilling from his mouth _**"Every sinner shall tremble before my power. Now is the time, that I obtain the toughness of ten mountains, the strength of a hundred rivers, and the power of a thousand camels! Upon my mighty self, I shall bear the symbol of the raging camel!"**_

Instantly, he felt the pain begin to subside though it was more than obvious it was not healing at the rate he was accustomed to. Growling in annoyance, he used a trick he had picked up from experiencing Kurama's Biiju Cloak heal his wounds over the years and began channeling his potent Yang chakra straight into the wound and was pleased to not only feel it beginning to heal faster, but also see the familiar steam of high-speed regeneration he had become somewhat accustomed to.

Unfortunately, he had yet to finish healing when Doni stepped out of the wreckage, his body unharmed and a ring of runes surrounding his body signaling the cause: he had activated [Man of Steel].

"Man, you sure can hit, Naruto-kun" Doni grinned wider than ever.

"And you can sure take it." Naruto shot back dryly. "Unfortunately, I have somewhere to be so I got to go. Maybe if I'm done I can fight you before I leave Italy again."

"Oho, and what makes you think I'll let you leave right now?" Doni countered.

"If you want me…" Naruto gave him a wide, foxlike grin as he formed a cross-like Handseal, calling into existence no less than five hundred _**Kage Bunshin**_ and having one behind Doni perform a discrete _**Kawarimi**_ with the real him before the smoke settled.

"Find the real me!" the clone that had replaced him taunted before all of them flickered away with Shunshin leaving behind a pouting Salvatore Doni.

A few kilometers away, Naruto felt the last of his wounds finish healing and deactivated the [Camel] before using the _**Kamui**_ to return to his hotel room where he took the guise of Sasuke Uchiha long enough to order enough food and drink via room service to feed an Akimichi.

As he was finishing setting the table, he was not in the least surprised when he felt a knock on the door, and was quick to reply.

"Come in, Erica!"

A few seconds of silence later, a blank-faced Erica Blandelli opened the door and stepped into the Hotel Room. Silently, she walked up to the table – which he immediately noticed was set for two people – and sat down on the opposite side of Naruto.

"You were expecting me." The Italian Mage stated with certainty.

"Yep." Naruto agreed.

"…" Erica's eyes narrowed slightly. "Given that the [Copper-Black Cross] has standing orders to find you, I suppose you could have expected me to look for you… but how did you know **I** would find you?"

"Kurama noticed you plucked one of my hairs and put it into a labeled vial back in Palermo on our last night there." Naruto replied in an amused grin.

"Ah." At this, the beautiful blonde had to look away with slight embarrassment.

"And since someone like Bianchi could track down a God, it was to be expected you could track down a Campione at least." Naruto concluded before his smile faded. "Erica."

"Yes?" her blue eyes met Naruto's own and she saw regret in them.

"I'm sorry. Really, I'm sorry I caused you so much trouble with your Association, getting you suspended and placed under house arrest." He grimaced. "If I had known Doni was such a reckless idiot, I would have kicked his ass back in Sicily even if it wrecked they whole airport."

"It most likely would have, considering your past record." Erica said dryly though it was obvious that despite her still maintaining a mask of neutrality what little coldness had been in her eyes had melted away.

They were both silent for a few minutes, collecting their thoughts as they ate some of the aperitifs.

"Why did you come to Italy, Naruto?" Erica broke the silence. "I told you not to, that the various associations would only send a few underlings just a few more times before they gave it up and Sir Salvatore found a new interest. You told Sir Salvatore that it was not to fight him… so why?"

"Ain't it obvious?" Naruto looked at her "I wanted to see you. To see if you were alright and find out how just much trouble I caused for you, and if possible solve it."

"Actually, in a week or so I would have been cleared of everything and forgot it ever happened." Erica deadpanned. "While he tries not to show favoritism, my uncle is still the Commander in Chief."

"Oh. Then I guess I caused you even more trouble by coming here." Naruto chuckled, nervously scratching the back of his head. "Still, even if I knew that, I would have come to check on you myself. Even if your uncle protects you, I have no doubt that he has some opposition in your organization that would not hesitate to hurt you."

"Naruto! The [Copper-Black Cross] is a knight order where honor is…!" Erica began indignantly.

"Erica." With one word in _that_ tone, he silenced her "Some of the grunts sent after me tried to take Shizuka as a hostage right before my eyes."

"…Very well, I suppose that even in my organization, there are some bad apples." Erica slumped slightly before regaining her vigor as he looked Naruto in the eye "Or rather my former organization."

"Former?" Naruto blinked in surprise.

"That's right. Actually I had been thinking ever since I bid you farewell on the phone. Precisely because Naruto Uzumaki is a great fool who came expressly to Italy despite the situation, I should not care about him this time. It has nothing to do with a knight's merciful heart of compassion." Erica mused out loud "But for some reason, I can't do it. To think there existed a man who completely disregarded his own safety and rushed straight into the country of the most dangerous enemy, and even ran into a crisis. I can't abandon such a man to his fate." She admitted. "I have already bid my uncle and the association farewell before I came here. I am no longer a knight. I am nothing but an ordinary girl - I would never say this even if it meant tearing my mouth open, but I am just a girl who knows how to use magic and a sword. So that's the situation, you don't mind, right?"

"No longer a knight… what did you do?" Naruto whispered in shock.

"Nothing much. Because I am joining you - the faction of the youngest Campione, that is what I must do. So Naruto, you have to take responsibility properly." She declared.

"Responsibility!?" Naruto yelped.

"D-Don't get any strange ideas. All I meant was that you must take responsibility by dueling Sir Salvatore and resolving the matter properly!" Erica blushed.

" **That so?"** Kurama's teasing voice was heard and they both turned to where the fox was laying on the bed. **"That's all you want?"** he taunted.

"Well, yes, that …" Erica began.

" **So it has nothing to do with how you were cuddling into his side that last night in Sicily?"** Kurama asked **"How you rubbing against him… how you were** _ **moaning his name…**_ **?** the fox continued to speak even as he dodged the fruit the flustered blond had begun throwing at him.

" **Be silent!"** Erica yelled.

" **No need to be so shy… you should ask me sometime about the dreams my container has been having about you since then."** Kurama grinned.

" **Kurama!"** Naruto yelped, eyes wide and face beet red under the sudden look Erica was giving him.

" **They were quite… graphic."** Kurama taunted.

"I-I see." Erica stuttered and glanced away as she met Naruto's eyes, both flushing further. "Hey Naruto… don't we currently look like we're eloping?"

"Eh?" Naruto was rendered speechless.

"I'm running away from home to be with the man I'm promising my future to…"

"Isn't it more like friends or close comrades...?" Naruto stuttered.

"Yes. As well as partners for life. Lovers bound by promises of eternal love." Erica said as she got up from her seat and advanced – stalked – towards Naruto who tried to sink deeper into his chair. "Naruto, if you could come to a profound realization and regard Erica Blandelli as your one and only woman... I could consider staying with you forever and ever till death do us part?" Erica's beautiful face was approaching as she lowered to sit on his lap.

"T-That's kind of intense… and sudden!" Naruto stuttered. "We should calm down and consider…"

"Who do you take me for? Before speaking to you, Naruto, I've already undergone careful consideration. Precisely because I understand the irrepressibly intense passion in my heart, that is why I am turning my feelings into action." The young beauty confessed directly.

"I… I don't know if we really match…" Naruto stuttered, his gaze moving away from Erica.

"Oh my, are you saying that I, Erica Blandelli, am not qualified to become the spouse of the seventh Campione, Naruto Uzumaki?" she taunted.

"Baka, I mean the opposite. I'm not good enough for you!" Naruto shot back.

"In that case, you're the idiot. Foolishly worrying about the issue of matching when we should be softly whispering words of love and passion to each other. What a boorish person you are." she smiled gently "However, I happen to like that boorishness of yours. A different kind of fool from Sir Salvatore. Honest to a fault, clumsy, boorish, brilliant on occasion but essentially naive most of the time – Naruto Uzumaki, that is the man I love most of all." She uttered clearly, leaving him speechless.

"I… I…" Naruto seemed lost for a few moments, staring into Erica's eyes as she did with his. He snapped out of it though, clenching his fist and raising it slowly towards Erica to see. "Erica… please bump fists with me?"

"Eh?" the Italian blonde blinked, snapping out of her own trance.

"Just… just bump your fist against mine and you'll understand." Naruto said softly.

" **Naruto, are you sure?"** Kurama cautioned.

"I trust Erica with my life." Naruto said clearly, a soft smile on his lips.

Deciding to humor him and trying not to let her mind go off in tangents, Erica did as he asked and bumped her right fist against his own… and she understood. She understood why they were doing this, what Naruto was feeling, what he was afraid of, what he had been planning… in essence, she _understood Naruto Uzumaki_. And, as she came out of her short trance, she understood that Naruto Uzumaki now understood Erica Blandelli.

And she was fine with it.

She did not bother with words any further, having understood their futility after connecting to Naruto like that. There was nothing more to be said. Instead, she grabbed him by the front of his shirt and pulled him into a passionate kiss to which he most enthusiastically responded.

Coming up for air a while later, they were flushed, their lips slightly bruised from the ferocity, and drawing much needed air, but they were both smiling.

"I understand." Erica said clearly as she regained her breath.

"So do I." Naruto smiled.

"And… while it may take a little while… I know I can live with you and your quirks… though I want to have a say in it!" she decided imperiously.

"I can live with that." Naruto grinned.

"And… And it might be fun." Erica flushed.

"Erica-chan no hentai." Naruto taunted in Japanese as opposed to the Italian they had been speaking so far.

"You're one to talk!" Erica spluttered.

As the two good-naturedly teased each-other, Kurama laid down to take a nap, a satisfied grin on his face.

" _ **Heh, old man, looks like your Ninshu will continue on… though I'm pretty sure this was not what you had in mind."**_ The fox internally chuckled.

 _Timeskip – two days later, near the Blandelli Villa overlooking Lake Garda_

Decided that the easiest way to resolve the situation was for Naruto to fight Salvatore and then get him to cancel all his previous orders regarding Naruto and Erica, they settled on a time and place and had Erica send a 'Duel Invitation' for the Sixth Campione to both the man himself and the Copper-Black Cross HQ, if only to stop their search now that they knew where Naruto would be.

The chosen battleground had been offered by Erica, one of the several properties she had inherited from her deceased parents, a rather old monastery turned villa with great historical value… which was likely to be smashed to pieces in the upcoming duel.

In fact, Erica had all but outright told him that she wanted that building destroyed, and from what he was feeling of her emotions, she would be quite glad to see it gone. Thankfully, he had over the course of seventeen years of life learned _some_ tact which – after an additional prod from Kurama to shut up – led him to simply agree and not comment.

Personally, Naruto was going to miss the place… okay, he was going to miss the bed he had shared with Erica. While he had yet to claim the beautiful girl's virginity, knowing full well that while her emotions were genuine she was not quite ready for that step, they _had_ done some mutual exploring which was an entirely pleasant experience despite Erica's obvious inexperience.

Still, on this mid-April weekend, the sun was setting in the west. The domination of darkness was arriving. This former monastery, abandoned villa, and example of Romanesque architecture was where the two Campione met once again. They were currently located in a vast space on the second floor that had been used as a dance hall.

"I've eagerly and impatiently waited for this moment, Naruto. I'm currently so touched!" Doni declared.

"Let's see how long that lasts." Naruto shot back.

"Still, this doesn't feel too right." Doni mused as he drew his sword from the cylindrical case he carried over his shoulder. "Why don't you find something to wield?"

"Don't worry about it. I'm more of an unnamed fighter." Naruto shrugged. "If I need a weapon though, I'm sure I can get something."

"Oh well, if you say so. Because Campione are equal, there's no need to mind such things, I suppose." Doni grinned. "Let us begin!" he declared.

" _ **This is my taunt at the gods, who are my foes!"**_ Naruto instantly declared and a moment later teleported outside using the _**Amenotejikara**_.

"Eh?" Doni blinked.

Then the entire villa came crashing down on his head as the Boar descended from the sky to rampage and smash the building to bits. This time, Naruto had no need to worry about banishing it. It could wreak havoc on the place to its heart's content. That was exactly what Naruto needed it for: to cause damage and draw Doni's attention, if only for a little while.

And that was what the Boar did, it's roars carrying sonic booms inhibiting the Sixth Campione more than is mass and brute force ever did, causing him to both don the [Man of Steel] and call upon the [Ripping Arm of Silver] as soon as the battle began. After that, however, the skirmish between Doni and the Boar did not last long. While immensely powerful and destructive, Doni enlarging his sword to be proportional to the Boar and still wielding it just as easily as before said its word, and within a couple of minutes, the Boar was dispersing into motes of divine power.

It had served its purpose though, both buying time for Naruto and forcing him to activate both his combat Authorities.

" _ **The king must be a warrior. Powerful, formidable, and physically perfect. This was a common tradition in the ancient world. So long as Nuadha remained the 'one-armed god,' he was ineligible to be restored to power!"**_ Naruto chanting was heard and looking around as he emerged from the wreckage Doni realized he was surrounded by golden orbs of power, while Naruto held a Golden Sword.

"I see, I see!" Doni laughed enthusiastically. "This is a [Sword] eh? A sword not forged and polished from iron but carved and formed out of spell words. A sword of wizardry. Naruto, you too are a sword-wielding god-slayer! How interesting! Facing me who is served by a sword of steel, you oppose me with a sword constructed from spell words... Salvatore Doni and Naruto Uzumaki's styles share no commonality at all. Hoho, but that's who we are, after all!" the Sixth Campione's eyes were flashing with both kinship and competitive spirit. "Yes. Conflicts between us Campione are always undertaken as battles of obstinate wills, to prove whose manner of doing things is superior! You seem to have finally understood that promise. I am so happy!" he cheered as he thrust his enlarging sword towards Naruto.

In reply the whiskered blond sent his golden orbs that held spell words forged to cut through the divinity of Nuadha in response, only he had to dodge as while his orbs had indeed begun to cut through the divinity infuse in that sword… Doni's sword was just as easily cutting through his golden orbs.

" _What the hell? He can just cut even through something like this?"_ he panicked slightly and flickered away in a Shunshin. _"Fine then! If I can't sever the divinity in the sword properly… I'm aim for the source, his silver right arm!"_

And with that, like waves crashing into a cliff, the hundreds of golden orbs descended onto Doni.

" _ **I forbid the existence of things I cannot cut!"**_ Doni chanted, causing his silver arm to glow even more intensely as his sword shrunk to normal size to allow him greater maneuverability as he moved at blurring speeds to cut each and every orb that came his way.

It was not enough though. As fast as he was, as skilled as he was, as accurate as he was – he by cutting specific drops of rain, after all – he simply could not give the proper attention to everything around him and slowly but surely the brightness of his silver arm dulled until finally, the [Ripping Arm of Silver] had truly been severed.

"Ugh!" Doni grunted in discomfort at being cut off from his most used Authority. "You actually did it, you sealed my Authority." He remarked before grinning. "So these things… are now harmless to me, aren't they?" he commented as he left hand phased through a golden orb without consequence. "Hah… you know, when I saw that sword, I actually thought we were going to cross blades for a sec… then I realized what kind of sword it was." His grin became feral "But you don't think that just because you sealed my silver arm this is over do you?"

"Yeah, you're right." Naruto agreed as he dismissed his Authority and instead activated his _**Rinnegan**_ and his Six Paths Sage Mode, allowing his body to be clad in black and golden-orange, a _**Gudodama**_ manifesting before reshaping and solidifying into a simple if sharp pitch black katana. With that achieved, his eyes shifted into Obito's _**Mangekyo**_ as he took a basic kendo stance.

"You are actually willing to challenge me head on to a swordfight?" Doni asked giddily.

"I do have some tricks up my sleeve." Naruto shot back with a wide grin.

"Haha! I knew we would get along great, my new friend!" Doni took his own, if relaxed, stance.

Then, at an unspoken signal, they moved, blurring at one another… and then past one another.

Stopping ten or so feet away from each other, back to back, they remained still for a few seconds… before Doni lowered his sword.

"Damn, so you had a trick like that up your sleeve, the whole time?" the Italian Campione remarked as he placed a hand against his chest… where a cut that had reached and even lightly scratched his heart now resided.

It was not bleeding, his [Man of Steel] Authority ensured it, but that did not change the fact that had Naruto wanted, he could have cut Doni in two.

"Why didn't you use it before?" Doni inquired as he turned around.

"You're [Ripping Arm of Silver] can cut even through other dimensions, apparently." Naruto shrugged as he turned to face Doni.

"I see… that cut I scored on you in Milan." Doni nodded in understanding.

"Yep, freaked me out so I smacked you away." Naruto admitted.

"Hah… well, this is my loss." Doni admitted. "I'm already this injured and if we continue not even magical healing will put me back together right."

"Alright." Naruto grinned.

"But I'll want a rematch at some point." Doni remarked. "I'm the King of Swords, you know. I can't let it slide, being beaten with a sword."

"Well, I could have used something else to hit you and I still would have phased through your guard." Naruto pointed out as he deactivated his Six Paths Sage Mode. "Are you going to be okay though?"

"Yeah, a healing potion or two will fix me up." Doni remarked as they walked alongside towards where Erica and Andrea Rivera, Doni's chaperone/butler/assistant/babysitter had been watching the duel. "I just need to keep [Man of Steel] active until then."

"Well, now we're even in terms of serious cuts on the chest." Naruto pointed out.

"True, though I know my cut was hard to heal." Doni grinned.

"Yeah, but mine was deeper!" Naruto smirked.

"They are getting along… far too easily for my liking." Rivera twitched.

"Don't worry, Naruto will be returning to Japan and I plan on keeping him there at least for now." Erica assured the man.

"I'm counting on you then. Italy can't survive two blond idiot Kings." Rivera sighed.

"My dear Andrea, my new friend and I will be celebrating our first duel with some pasta! Do you know any good restaurants around here?" Doni cheerfully asked.

"Idiot! You need to get healed first!" Rivera exclaimed. "Did you forget that you can't eat while that Authority is active?!"

"Huh, then I'll turn it off…"

"Stop, you fool! Let's get some proper healing potions first… gah, you already did it!"

"Yep, I'm bleeding pretty badly…"

"Don't say that like it does not concern you!"

" _ **Why am I doomed to be surrounded by idiots?"**_ Kurama groaned within Naruto's mind while he and Erica watched the two men argue.

" _Birds of a feather, flock together?"_ Naruto offered.

"… _ **I'll eat you, seriously."**_

 **A.N.: Okay, another chapter done. And, as you can see, I won't be following the cannon romance growth.**

 **Naruto was hesitant to become closer in that way to Erica not because he was embarrassed, but because he actually cared for her as a friend first and as a potential lover second and was afraid once she knew more about him and his past she would no longer be attracted to him.**

 **Hence Ninshu, connecting their hearts to reach mutual understanding.**

 **If you're wondering why he did not go all the way with her, it's pretty obvious: he's going at Erica's pace since she's more inexperienced. There will be more lemons eventually, but not for a while yet, at least not with Erica.**

 **Regarding the duel with Doni, I know it was pretty short… but what did you expect? I mean, Naruto was trying to beat him into dropping his demands from the Copper-Black Cross, not kill him. Killing him would have been much easier, after all: just hit him with a bunch of Gudodama while he was distracted by the Golden Orbs created by the Sword Incarnation and they would tear through him like wet paper! After all, Doni's durability in that form is adjustable and dependent on how much he was willing to weight. Considering that he needed speed and thus could not afford sinking into the ground, his defense was negligible then.**

 **I will say this now; Naruto will try to avoid killing his fellow Campione since he realizes their presence is needed to protect the world from Heretic Gods. That does not mean he won't do some serious damage to them if he feels it's appropriate (hint*Voban*hint).**

 **Regarding the [Sharingan] / [Authority Copy], while I admit it's overpowered somewhat, you have to admit to have seen it coming. I mean, what else to expect from the Sharingan part of Rinne-Sharingan? I've explained it in the chapter so I don't need to say more on it. I will say that it is one of nine powers the Rinne-Sharingan possesses, and that for each used Naruto can summon one less of the nine Biiju, starting with Kurama all the way down the ladder to Shukaku.**

 **I've already decided on what the nine abilities of the Rinne-Sharingan are, but I would like to hear what you are expecting.**

 **Also, no Tenseigan out of the Byakugan, just no. If Kaguya didn't have it despite being a full-blooded Otsutsuki, I'm not buying the 'need Otsutsuki chakra to activate' part. Same for Momoshiki and Kinshiki, and they had an extra thousand years to do it.**


	5. Chapter 5

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own Naruto or Campione. Naruto is the property of Masashi Kishimoto and Campione is the property of Takedzuki Jou.

 _Italics text = character thinking to themselves._

 _Underline+Italics = character communicating with telepathy_

 **Bold text = shouting**

 _ **Bold+Italcs = Casting Spell/Ability**_

 **Chapter Five**

 **The Serpent of Wisdom**

 _Mid May – Tokyo, Naruto's apartment_

After Naruto awoke and crushed the alarm clock on his nightstand, he released a loud yawn as he stretched, trying to get the kinks out of his back. Then he opened his eyes at a foreign sound and stared…

…at a very naked Erica Blandelli that was on the bed right next to him…

…tied up and gagged with thin rope reinforced with seals to the point that even he would have to struggle to break it…

…and staring at him with no little annoyance.

"Erica?" Naruto blinked as he took in her form. "I didn't think you were into this sort of thing…" he trailed off as a spike of murderous intent erupted from the beautiful Italian girl.

Hesitantly, he removed her gag.

" _This_ was _your_ doing, Naruto." She said flatly. "I tried to sneak into your bed and your tied me up like this… while remaining asleep. Did you know you were a sleepwalker?"

"Er, no." Naruto said slowly as he tilted his head to the side. "But you know, it would totally explain why Kakashi-sensei and Sasuke kept glaring at me the first couple of days during our first mission outside Konoha…. And why they made me get my own tent afterwards." He mumbled to himself.

"Fantastic." Erica's eye twitched. "Now would you mind untying me?"

"Hm, I don't know Erica." Naruto smiled playfully. "You look pretty nice like that…" he teased as he slid his index finger a few inches upwards along her inner thigh and then pulling back before he got too far.

"W-Well, I'll keep that in mind for some other time." Erica stuttered as she blushed at his innuendo. "Right now though, I need to talk with you about something."

"I figured as much. Usually, I'm the one who wakes _you_ up and drags you to school." He pointed out dryly.

"You mean your clone does." She shot back.

"Semantics." The whiskered blond grinned.

After his victory over Salvatore Doni and thus the end of his orders to the [Copper Black Cross], Erica and he had returned to Millan for a couple days where she was not only welcomed back into the ranks of the organization at her previous rank, but was also bestowed the tittle of _**Diavollo Roso**_ , her uncle passing it down to her.

Then, to celebrate, she took him hunting a Divine Beast that had been causing problems on the countryside… which turned out to be a dinosaur.

When he had returned to Japan after that, it was with the belief that it would be a while before they met face-to-face once more, though they agreed to chat over the phone or through a webcam pretty often.

Then, when he returned to school on Monday he found her there being introduced as a transfer student where she proceeded to make production of their relationship just to be seated next to him.

Since then, he had been dropping by her apartment every morning to wake up and get her ready to come to school… or rather, a _**Kage Bunshin**_ used the Hiraishin marker her had placed near her apartment door to teleport and wake her up and on her way to school, making sure to dispel before her route and that of the real him intersected. After finding out, Erica had pouted until lunchtime. Her maid, Arianna, on the other hand found it hilarious.

"So, what did you want to talk to me about?" Naruto inquired as he nimbly untied her… and if he coped a feel in the process, it was entirely accidental!

"I need you to come with me to Italy after school is over." Erica replied. "There has been a… situation and your help would be great."

"Yeah… I'll need a better explanation then that." Naruto said flatly. "Otherwise Kurama will gnaw on my head for being gullible."

"We have plenty of time for explanations on the plane. I've already reserved tickets…" she began.

"Or you can explain now and I'll teleport us straight to Italy after school." He shot back.

"…You can teleport?" Erica blinked.

"How else did you think I got to Italy within a few hours of talking to you over the phone?" he grinned.

"Well, you could have used the [Raptor]…." She began before shaking her head. "No, the strain on your heart alone would limit its use, never mind running over the sea."

"At any rate, there's no way I'm spending hours on a plane when I can teleport there in seconds… no matter how many flight attendants are willing to offer me to join the Mile-High club." Naruto shrugged, thinking back to his flights to Italy and back… and how Lucretia had explained the term to him.

"... I'm sure my presence would deter them." Erica twitched.

"I don't know; they didn't mind when Shizuka was there." Naruto shrugged.

"Really?" Erica blinked in shock.

"Yeah, they said she could join in." Naruto looked away with a slight blush.

"Is-Is that so?" Erica stuttered, imagining such a scene with herself in Shizuka's position… and wondering how she would turn it down – _if_ she would turn it down.

"Anyway!" Naruto exclaimed "Explanations, please."

"…Fine." Erica sighed. "A powerful Grimoire was discovered in Italy and Princess Alice, one of the most powerful Hime-Miko in the world and a renown Seer has made a prophecy regarding it. Apparently, it was made by a Goddess and should she regain it, she will destroy the world or something."

"Or something?" Naruto tilted his head.

"Well, the exact words were 'sink the world into darkness'." Erica shrugged.

"I see. And what do you want me to do?" Naruto blinked.

"I want you to take it and guard it." Erica said simply. "If a goddess comes after it, it will be safest in the hands of a Campione."

"Why not have Doni… right, stupid question." Naruto sighed at the flat look she gave him.

"So, will you come?" Erica pressed.

"Sure." Naruto shrugged.

"Very well, I'll come here after school when I'm ready to go. I have a few other arrangements to do today before we leave, however, so I will be skipping school today." Erica informed him as she got up and went to get dressed.

Naruto was certainly appreciative of the sway of her hip, even more so when she bent down to put on her socks before her panties.

"Do you need any help? I don't mind missing a few classes." Naruto offered hopefully as she finished dressing.

"Oh, I can handle it." Erica said sweetly. "You just go have fun at school."

"…This is payback for tying you up, isn't it?" Naruto sighed.

Unfortunately, just as he began speaking the bedroom door opened to admit Shizuka allowing her to hear that last question.

She took a moment to take in his nearly naked body, especially the large bulge in the front of his boxers, and another few to process what he had said before focusing her attention on Erica who still had a few marks from where the rope had held her tight. Blushing furiously, she took a step back and closed the door.

"Well, that happened." Naruto remarked awkwardly.

"Why… was Shizuka-chan here?" Erica asked slowly, trying to dispel her blush.

"We tend to take turns in making breakfast." Naruto offered. "Since her brother now lives in his school dorms a good chunk of the year, she does not get to cook as much as she used to. So she and her grandfather invite me over some days and I do the same. Old man Ichirou has traveled all over the world and knows quite a few exotic recipes."

"I see." Erica mused before shaking her head. "I need to go. See you later, Naruto."

"Bye." Naruto replied as he went to get dressed.

When he left his bedroom though, he found Shizuka waiting for him.

"So… you're into bondage?" Shizuka asked in embarrassment.

"Not sure, never tried it." Naruto said honestly as he headed into the kitchen. "I tied Erica in my sleep last night when she sneaked into my room."

"You tied her up… in your sleep?" Shizuka said slowly.

"Must be from ninja paranoia or something." Naruto shrugged. "Anyway, where's Ichirou-san?"

"He left earlier, he has some business in Okinawa for a few days." Shizuka replied as he went to help him with preparing breakfast. "Say, do you have any plans today?" she suddenly asked.

"Sorry, I have some magic business after school." Naruto apologized. "I need to pick up something from Italy, so I might be back tonight, if not tomorrow."

"What about the day after tomorrow?" Shizuka pressed.

"Well, technically not but…" Naruto grimaced.

"But what?" Shizuka frowned.

"Well, apparently there's a Goddess after this Grimoire I'm taking from Italy so she's likely to attack me soon to get it back. So maybe I should wait for after I deal with her before making any plans." He admitted.

"I… see." Shizuka sighed.

"Why are you asking, anyway?" Naruto asked. "Want me to take you somewhere?"

"Er, never mind." Shizuka blushed. "Look, the eggs are burning."

"Gah!" the blond exclaimed and hurried to the neglected frying pan.

 _Same day, after school_

"So, where exactly are we going?" Naruto inquired as he met up with Erica, unaware of the daggers Shizuka was glaring at the Diavollo Roso from across the street.

"Italy, of course. Rome, to be precise." Erica replied.

"Okay… exactly where in Rome?" Naruto scratched his head. "Give me a landmark or something. I need at least an image to focus on if I haven't been there myself."

"Hm, well how about the Colosseum?" Erica offered. "I need to meet up with a few people first… so how about we split up there and you go sightseeing a bit while I do business? I'll give you a call when it's time to meet them."

"Sound's good to me." Naruto mused as he browsed on his iPhone through the images of the Colosseum he found on the Internet. "Is here good?" he showed her a picture of a more out of the way location by the Colosseum.

"It will do fine." Erica agreed and before she could utter another word he grabbed her shoulder and she found herself being sucked towards one of his now crimson eyes bearing a black tri-bladed shuriken around a red pupil.

Moments later, she found herself with Naruto in a different world, composed of huge silvery grey boxes stacked in various ways, the only source of light being the slight glow coming from those very boxes as the sky was devoid of both the Sun and the Moon.

"W-Where are we?" Erica asked in shock.

"It's a dimension I can access. I can't teleport between two places in the same world, so I use this place as a middle-way." Naruto explained before he activated the _**Kamui**_ once more.

"We're here." Erica remarked as she saw the familiar surroundings. "Well, I'll be going. Have fun."

"Sure, call me when you're done." Naruto grinned as he turned… and headed straight towards the nearest restaurant.

He hadn't had dinner yet, after all.

As it turns out, it only took the blonde knight a couple hours to make the proper arrangements before she had Naruto meet up with her a short distance from the Colosseum, next to more ancient ruins.

"So, what's up?" Naruto inquired as his gaze moved from Erica to the three middle aged or old people with her.

"Naruto, these are the commanders of the [Old Dame], [Female Wolf] and [Capital of Lilies] Mage Associations. Gentlemen, this is his Majesty Naruto Uzumaki." Erica made the introductions. "As for why we're here… care for a small demonstrative spar?" he gave him a ferocious grin.

"Sure." Naruto shrugged, never one to turn down a fight without a good reason.

"Excellent!" Erica smiled as the three commanders moved away to higher ground to observe.

" _ **O lion of steel and your ancestor, the lion-hearted king – please hear the oath of the knight Erica Blandelli."**_ Erica chanted. _**"I am the valorous successor to the bugle, the descendant of the Black Knight. 'Til my fighting spirit is broken, my sword will never shatter. O lion-hearted king, I implore you – bring the essence of battle into my hand!"**_ she finished as she drew her longsword from the mouth of the steel lion that had appeared before her, bound within a crimson magic circle in mid-air. "Advance! The time for _Cuore di Leone_ to fight has come!" she declared.

Without another word she lunged at him at a respectable speed for a non-chakra user, which all in all meant that to Naruto's eyes she was moving _slow_ , even without the _**Sharingan**_ and its higher levels to augment his vision.

"So, what exactly should I do?" Naruto asked quietly as he dodged her strikes with ease yet with minimal movement, making it look like he was just barely managing it.

"Put up a fight, for one thing." Erica replied in an undertone. "Use your Authorities! That's what those three want to see."

"Well, the [Tails of the Shinju] is out then. Any one of the Tailed Beasts would flatten you and draw too much attention…" Naruto began.

"Divine Beasts emanate a Divine Field that makes them invisible to regular people. That's why they always believe the rampages of Heretic Gods and Divine Beasts are merely natural disasters. They only see some of the effects, not the culprits." Erica informed him.

"Huh, that's good to know… but even the weakest of the Tailed Beasts would kill you, so still no." Naruto muttered.

"What about Verethragna's Authority?" Erica demanded as she increased the pace of her attacks in response to which Naruto pulled a kunai from somewhere and began to parry and deflect, making sure to reinforce the steel of his blade with chakra.

"[The Persian Warlord] … well, that one has a lot of conditions for each Incarnation, you know." Naruto sweatdropped. "You're not physically strong enough for me to use the [Bull], too slow for the [Raptor], not evil enough for the [White Stallion], I'm not injured enough to use the [Camel], not dead enough to use the [Ram], you don't have divine powers for the [Warrior] to work on you, and I'm not sure yet how the [Goat], [Youth] and [Gale] work."

"What about the [Boar]?" Erica suggested.

"I can summon that one right now." Naruto admitted.

"Go ahead then, use it." Erica urged.

"It would also require me to target a building or something of that size. Want me to send it at the Colosseum?" Naruto offered dryly, before mentally grimacing – Kurama's natural snarkness was rubbing onto him.

After a few seconds – she was actually considering it! – Erica shook her head.

"How about the one from Melqart?" she tried.

"It would kill you on the spot." Naruto sighed.

"Tsk, fine!" she growled in annoyance. "I'll give you a target other than myself that you don't need to hold back on!" she declared as she disengaged and jumped back to put some distance between them. _**"Cuore di Leone – Thus I order you to this mission, O lion of steel. May you rend, skewer and rip apart the foe! May you conquer, annihilate the enemy, and seize victory! I leave the battlefield to you."**_ She chanted… before tossing the sword to the ground between her and her fellow blond.

Moments later, the blade shifted its form at it began to grow until a two stories tall lion made of steel was growling at him.

"…" Naruto stared nonplused at the Lion of Steel, perfectly aware that as solid is may seem, he could shatter it with a punch… but apparently his Authorities took into account his regular state rather than his chakra-enhanced one, as such he felt the [Bull] become available to him. _**"For I am strongest amoungst the strong. Truly, I am one that holds each and every victory. I care not whom challenges me, whether man or devil; I may face all my foes and all my enemies. Regardless, I shall crush all those who wouldst stand in my way!"**_ he quickly spoke the sacred spell words and felt his strength at least quadrupling.

Standing still as the Lion lunged at him, the whiskered blond timed it just right… and smacked the lion away the moment it was in the range of his fists, sending it staggering several feet way before it regained its footing and attempted to attack again.

This time though, Naruto was not as patient and before the Lion could react Naruto had grabbed its left front leg and, enhancing the strength granted by the [Bull] further with chakra, he ripped it out of its socket and used it as a club to smack the Lion over the snout… before grabbing the jaws of the construct and ripping the mouth open further then it was intended until he was left holding the lower jaw in his right hand, separate from the head. Dropping it, he grabbed the sides of the Lion's head with both hands as he put a foot on its back to keep it down… and twisted as he pulled, finding himself holding the dragon's head after a few moments of effort.

"Are we done here?" Naruto asked as he walked away from the clearly defeated construct, tossing the severed head over his shoulder.

"Fufu, not quite." Erica smiled devilishly…

…and Naruto _moved_ , instantly dropping the [Bull] in exchange for the [Raptor], dodging at Godspeed the mass of sharp silver implements of death the Lion had turned into and shot at him.

"The hell are those?" Naruto demanded.

" _Fangs and Claws_ of Cuore di Leone." Erica replied simply as once again the silver nail-like objects shot at him _en masse_ , prompting him to dodge one more.

Thankfully, it only took a third attack from them for Naruto to figure them out somewhat. While sharp and inhumanly fast, the attack had certain weakness. The first of which being that it could only move in a straight line. Additionally, they were positioned in five distinct groups in the air representing the mouth and the individual paws, and could not change those positions even if he passed his arm through the place between them, as Naruto tried during a fourth attack on his person. And finally, they could only move at that high-speed over a certain distance, being forced to float a few meters towards him before attacking once more for the fifth time.

But now that he had figured it out, he was done playing with them.

" _ **Shinra Tensei."**_ He whispered as he pushed his left palm towards the _Fangs and Claws_ as they flickered towards him, blasting them dozens of meters away and out of formation.

"Good job, Naruto. _**Cuore di Leone – you are the unyielding blade. 'Til my fighting spirit is broken, my sword will never shatter. O lion, I implore you once again; return into my hand!**_ " Erica praised as she entered the field proper once more, the sword reforming in her hand as the fragment came together once more. "But it's time for the grand finale!" she held the sword above her head and began chanting. _**"**_ _ **Eli Eli lama sabachthani? Oh Lord, why hast thou forsaken me? O my God, I cry in the daytime, but thou hearest not; and in the night season, and am not silent. But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel. I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint: my heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels. My strength is dried up like a potsherd; and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws; and thou hast brought me into the dust of death."**_

By this time, Naruto had relinquished his hold over the [Raptor] as he felt it begin to place a strain on his body – not significant, but there was no need to pointlessly hurt himself – and was watching Erica with his active _**Mangekyo Sharingan**_ as she formed her spell. He vaguely knew about the spell due to that time he had connected his chakra to hers, but had never really seen it used for attack. Rather, last time she had used it to reinforce her barrier spell. He did know it was strong enough to harm a god though, and he had every intention of copying it… though he seriously doubted he would every use it with a sword. He may have used one against Doni, but it had been more of a taunt than anything else. He had copied a few spells from Lucretia via his Kage Bunshin, so he knew it was doable.

" _ **For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have enclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet. But be not thou far from me, O Lord: O my strength, haste thee to help me. Deliver my soul from the sword; Save me from the lion's mouth: for thou hast heard me from the horns of wild oxen! I will declare thy name unto my brethren: in the midst of the congregation will I praise thee."**_ Erica finished the incantation surrounded by a crimson aura of dread emanating from her sword now turned spear as she hefted it over her shoulder and prepared to throw it.

Naruto instantly knew that if that hit anything vital it could actually kill him, healing factor or not. That spear was currently an anti-divine weapon and as a Campione he possessed a good chunk of divinity in his body. As such, when Erica threw it straight towards his heart…

… he used _**Kamui**_ and allowed it to phase through him and continue on to hit the ruins, causing a respectable explosion as the magic infused in the spear was violently transferred into the stone.

Before Erica could recall her weapon – or do anything else for that matter – he used the _**Amenotejikara**_ to teleport right in front of her and poke her forehead.

"The end." He grinned at his fellow blonde.

"Yes, I suppose it is enough." Erica agreed, breathing heavily due to the magic power she had expended.

At this, the three observers erupted into applause at the spectacle and Naruto responded with a grin and a wave – just because he was no longer resorting to pranks to get attention from others did not mean he disliked getting attention.

An hour later, the transaction had occurred and with the Gorgoneion in his possession – a stone disk that fit in his palm – he teleported himself and Erica back to Japan.

Had he waited an hour longer, he would have encountered a young-looking silver haired Goddess seeking his newest possession.

 _Timeskip – three days later_

Naruto was having an… interesting day. Since he had arrived at school – alone, for once, since Erica had some business to attend to – he felt someone watching him or at the very least focusing intently on him. Specifically, someone with power beyond the ordinary civilian. Sure, there were the rare few he had felt since he first showed up in Tokyo, but this one was without a doubt different – it felt active.

As such, he was debating with Kurama the pros and cons of activating the [Byakugan] portion of the [Eyes of the Kaguya], since unlike the [Rinne-Sharingan] abilities the [Byakugan] did not cost him an incarnation slot per use. With it, he would be able to see through solid objects for a few miles in all directions, and more importantly see chakra and mana inside people.

On the other side, while it did not cost him any incarnation slots, he could still only use it once per day… though it did not have a time limit on its use, so he could technically activate it and keep it so for 24 hours until it reset – which would be something he would _really_ like to avoid since while X-Ray vision was awesome and all, it was really disorienting after a while.

It was during the lunch break that he finally identified the source of that power – he had used Sage Mode to locate it, but that did not give him a name or a face – as one Yuri Mariya… who pulled him aside and requested he meet with her after school.

" _ **So, what do you plan on doing with that vixen?"**_ Kurama inquired as Naruto was leaving the school building and heading towards the gates.

" _Well, she's probably one a mage that answers to a Japanese Mage Association."_ Naruto shrugged. _"I guess it's time I make contact with them."_

" _ **You should establish your dominance over them as soon as possible."**_ Kurama suggested. _**"Find their strongest warrior and make them all watch as you butcher him. That should cement your position."**_

"… _How about no."_ Naruto deadpanned. _"I don't want to be seen as a murderous bastard by these people. Besides, as a Campione I'm pretty much the top of the food chain among humans."_

" _ **True, true."**_ Kurama agreed. _**"New plan: find a god and butcher him in front of…"**_

" _How about I just go with the flow for now?"_ Naruto asked flatly. _"Like find out what Mariya wants."_

" _ **I suppose that will suffice for now."**_ The fox sniffed.

Sure enough, she was waiting just beyond the gates and politely requested he walk with her.

"So…" Naruto got bored after the second minute of silence "Are you a mage?"

"Er, no." the chestnut haired girl said distractedly, snapping from her thoughts.

"But I feel magic from you." Naruto pointed out in confusion.

"I am a Hime-Miko." She revealed.

"That… means nothing to me." The blond blinked. "What's the difference between a Hime-Miko and a mage?"

"Mages learn various spells they find useful. Hime-Miko like myself focus our magical training on developing our inborn magical abilities." She explained.

"Inborn… you mean Kekkei Genkai?" Naruto blinked.

"Pardon?" Yuri looked at him in confusion. "What are these Kekkei Genkai?"

"Abilities passed down through blood, that can't be taught to people outside the clans." Naruto explained.

"Oh." The girl frowned slightly. "Well, it's true that Hime-Miko abilities are passed down from parent to child… but it's not in just one family. There are plenty of Hime-Miko all over the world. If it were just Japan, I might have believed it was possible that we had a common ancestor, but…"

"Well, these abilities must have come from a god or goddess that had kids with humans." Naruto remarked. "That's how Kekkei Genkai started, a goddess had two kids who then went and had kids of their own and so on, with the inborn abilities changing or splitting amongst the bloodlines with time. So, if all Hime-Miko have the same kind of abilities, a lot of gods of the same type had kids with humans. I mean, there are plenty of earth gods and steel gods and so on…"

"That… is an interesting theory." A male voice commented as a man in his twenties or so stepped from behind a corner, to Naruto's… utter lack of surprise.

"Is that why you've been following us since we left school?" Naruto asked as he evaluated the man, now that he could see him directly rather than just sense him.

He was wearing the kind of suit he noticed most mid-class salarymen did in Japan, with a white shirt and a black tie, rectangular glasses and black shoes completing the image. Naruto's trained eyes also detected no less than four kunai and a dozen shuriken on him.

" _Not too bad, I'd put him at mid-Genin level if I was in Konoha."_ He considered.

"My, it seems that the tales of the prowess of Campione are not to be underestimated." The man praised. "My name is Touma Amakasu, I'm a member of the History Compilation Committee, the organization devoted to controlling all supernatural events in Japan, and hiding their existence from the normal people through manipulation of the media."

"Hm, you also have ninja training." Naruto remarked. "But you're no good at suppressing your power."

"Suppressing my power?" Amakasu blinked.

"Well, yeah." Naruto blinked. "Don't you get taught how to do that?"

"Er. No." the man shifted. "Does that mean you are currently suppressing your power?"

"Of course." Naruto said flatly. "If I didn't people would start having heart-attacks around me from the pressure."

"I find that a bit hard to believe…" Amakasu began gently only to choke and drop to his knees when Naruto allowed some of his chakra to pour naturally from his tenketsu rather than keep it in as he had been trained to do.

It was one of the reasons why he had had so much success pranking Konoha when he was younger, even the ANBU. Ever since he had first unlocked his chakra when he started the Academy, it been clear that he had an unnatural amount of it – so much that it was making his classmates uncomfortable and the villagers more hostile, thinking that 'the demon was regaining its power' and other such rubbish, not that he knew that at the time. So, a couple days after his chakra was unlocked, the Sandaime had pulled him out of school for a short while and spent a couple weeks personally teaching him how to suppress his chakra pressure. Suppressing one's chakra was a Chunin level skill since it was presumed Genin did not have much and suppressing that small amount would be detrimental to their health, specifically that of their chakra coils since suppressing one's chakra turned it inwards. It was a useful trick to put some strain on your coils to get them to grow larger at a slow yet steady rate, but it was dangerous for those with low levels of chakra since low chakra also meant low coil integrity.

Glancing around, he raised an eyebrow at the sight of Yuri enduring his chakra pressure much better then Amakasu, still on her feet and merely appearing unnerved and chalked it as another point in her favor.

"Sorry, I let free more then I should have." Naruto said sheepishly as he put a lid on his power once more. "I forgot how much my power grew when I became a Campione."

"No, it was my mistake for doubting you." Amakasu chuckled rather nervously.

"Anyway, what exactly does this Committee want with me?" Naruto asked.

"It… would be best if we discussed this in a more private place." Amakasu glanced around.

"We are near my shrine, that was where we were headed anyway." The girl said and began leading the way.

Fifteen minutes later, they were in the garden of a nice Japanese shrine with Naruto looking between them expectantly.

"So, this Committee…?" Naruto began questionably.

"Like I said, it is an organization dedicated to keeping the supernatural hidden from the population as well as limit the damage when Heretic Gods, Divine Beasts and ever rogue magic users cause trouble." Amakasu spoke. "But the reason we contacted you is to welcome you to Japan and offer our support in your endeavors. If there's anything you need, anything at all, do not hesitate to ask and we will do our upmost best to provide."

"Huh, that's nice." Naruto scratched the back of his head.

"On another note, we should warn you about other organizations trying to gain your favor, some even through less… direct and moral means." The man hesitated.

"You're talking about Erica, aren't you?" Naruto frowned.

"Indeed. I would not be surprised if her organization, the Copper-Black Cross, had sent her to seduce you in order to gain your favor." Amakasu stated.

"Well, they didn't." Naruto said with a tone of finality. "I won't explain why, but I will tell you that I know for sure Erica isn't trying to use me to gain favor for her group."

"…Very well, I will take your word for it." Amakasu stated in a somewhat doubtful tone.

Half hour later, they had provided a bit more information about the History Compilation Committee, such as being led by four families, Seishuuin, Kuhoutsuka, Renjou and Sayanomiya, the later which had founded the organization in the Meiji period. It was also explained that amongst them, the Seishuuin were distinguished by battle strength and political power, while the Sayanomiya has formed the core think tank of the Committee.

 _Next day – lunchtime at school_

"So, what's up?" Naruto asked after being asked by Yuri to meet her on the roof.

"I had a premonition last night." The Hime-Miko said worriedly, biting her lip. "It was about a great threat that shall soon arrive in Japan, a Heretic Goddess.

"Oh? What kind of goddess?" Naruto blinked.

"I don't know. But she is seeking something, an object of great power." Yuri explained.

"Do you know that that thing is? What does it look like?" Naruto prodded, already having an idea about it.

"Well…" she closed her eyes to concentrate "It's a stone disk, about this big…" she held her hands out palm up "with a carving of a face and snakes on it…" she paused as she felt something being placed in her hands and opening her eyes, she paled at the sight of the very object that was featured in her vision. **"W-Where did you get this!?"** she shrieked.

"Er, Erica asked me to guard it." Naruto said sheepishly. "Turns out there's a prophecy about a goddess getting her hands on that and ending the world. So, she figured, what safer place then with a Campione, right?"

"T-That still too reckless!" Yuri stuttered. "Bringing such a thing to Japan…"

"Oh, I was not too enthused on putting my dear Naruto in danger, but the alternatives were not pleasant at all." Erica spoke up as she made he presence known.

"Even so…" Yuri sighed in defeat.

"Leaving that aside for now, what can you tell us about this Grimoire? Or about the Goddess who created it?" Erica pressed. "Every bit of information will count."

"You want me to try using _**Spirit Vision**_." Yuri observed.

" _ **Spirt Vision**_?" Naruto blinked. "What's that?"

"It's a Hime-Miko ability that grants the knowledge of the **Memories of the Void** , that lay within the Netherworld. This allows knowledge of the past, and possessors my use this knowledge to subconsciously make predictions of the future." Yuri explained as she closed her eyes and focused on the object in her hands. "However, it can rarely be used on command. I can personally get it to work only about 30% of the time." She warned "And even then the information may not be complete or intelligible."

"Some information if better than none." Erica pointed out.

"And if it doesn't work it's not like we would be worst off then if you didn't try." Naruto shrugged.

"Very well then." Yuri took a deep breath before exhaling, and a moment later her eyes napped open, her pupils becoming pinpricks of glass while her iris glowed slightly with green light. "The helix seal of the encircling Earth Mother… a serpent goddess that rules over the underworld… her name…is Athena… **gah!** " she flinched back, closing her eyes."

"Yuri-san?" Erica asked in worry.

"What's wrong?" Naruto frowned as he helped her stay steady.

"She sensed me… she's already in Japan." Yuri opened her eyes, shivering in fear. "She sensed me seeking her out using the Gorgoneion, she knows where it is!"

"Damn it." Naruto scowled. "Do you know where she is?"

"She was on top of a bridge… that way." Yuri nodded, pointing in a particular direction. "Naruto-san, I have an idea if you are willing to hear me out."

"Hm?" Naruto looked at her, seeing her staring in determination at the Gorgoneion.

"If you can hold the goddess off for some time, I believe I can seal the presence of this Grimoire. That way, the Heretic Goddess will no longer be able to find it."

"That's a good idea." Erica perked up. "With its presence sealed, we could simply burry it somewhere and nobody will be the wiser."

"Sounds good to me." Naruto nodded, knowing for personal experience just how effective seals could be. "How long do you need?"

"A few hours." Mariya bit her lip in thought.

"I'll buy you as much time as you need." The whiskered blond promised. "But, if I screw up and she manages to get past me… use this." He handed her a tri-bladed kunai with a sealing tag on the handle.

"You… want me to fight a goddess?" Yuri asked meekly, with no little horror.

"What? No!" Naruto shook his head. "It's a beacon. Just toss it to the ground and I'll teleport to it in a flash. That's a promise." He gave her a thumbs-up with a wide grin.

"V-Very well. I'll keep that in mind." Yuri blushed and looked away as she stored both the Gorgoneion and the Hiraishin kunai in her bag. "I will head straight to my temple to begin the sealing. May the gods smile upon you, Uzumaki-san."

"Just call me Naruto!" the Seventh Campione called over his shoulder as he and Erica ran towards the edge of the building and leapt off, using magic and chakra respectively to jump onto a nearby roof, and then continued to roof-hop like that in the direction Yuri had pointed.

"So, Naruto… how do you plan on facing Athena?" Erica inquired as they landed on a larger building and took a short break so she could catch her breath, half hour later.

"Well, what can you tell me about her?" Naruto scratched the back of his head. "I mean, I read on the Internet a bit about the more well-known gods, just the highlights you know, but it said there that Athena was an enemy of snakes, the Gorgons I think they were called, so how come a snake grimoire holds some of her power?"

"Ah, it is due to us human distorting the myths over time. In truth, Athena and Medusa the Gorgon are one and the same. Now let me fill you in on the whole story…" Erica smiled as she cupped his cheek and leaned in for a kiss.

"I have found you, Godslayer." A calm voice, young yet filled with power, was heard and a flock of owls appeared before merging into a silver haired girl in her early teens with cold violet eyes dressed in a school uniform with a knit cap on her head.

"So you are the Heretic Goddess that followed us to Japan from Italy." Naruto tilted his head in disbelief, despite being able to feel her power.

"Let us first make assay. One carries the divine title of Athena – thou wouldst do well to remember it." she spoke clearly, narrowing her eyes at him. "Campione of the East, reveal thy name. Before our contest of supremacy for the relic of the [Serpent], one requires to know the name of one's opponent." She requested.

"Do we really have to fight?" Naruto frowned, suddenly not all that enthused about fighting – and likely killing – a very cute younger girl.

"Thou have taken the Gorgoneion from its ancient metropolis. Those… _conjurers_ set you up to it, didn't they? Whoever takes the [Serpent] away from oneself, qualifies as one's enemy. Our fight is inevitable." Athena explained, eyes flickering at Erica when she said conjurers, likely meaning mages, though obviously considering her far beneath proper notice. "One graciously awaits thy nomenclature." She repeated her request.

"Naruto Uzumaki." The Seventh Campione answered, momentarily considering introducing Erica as well but then remembering something Kurama told him about names having power of their own.

"Naruto Uzumaki – one believes it means Maelstrom of the Whirlpool. A strong name. This Athena shall remember it well." The goddess spoke.

Naruto decided it was not the right time to tell her his name means Fishcake – plus, he though her interpretation sounded a lot cooler.

"And if it please thee, Naruto Uzumaki, one shall ask of thou: where does the Gorgoneion now lie?" Athena asked softly, with a hint of danger in her tone.

"Yeah, think I'm gonna pass on telling you that." Naruto grinned cheekily. "Can't have the world sunk into darkness, you know."

"I see. Part of one now yearns to clash arms, confirms thee to be a foe, thirsts to slake the battle-lust. But another part of one, the goddess of wisdom, wishes to make this warning." Her cold eyes seemed to light up in amusement and Naruto felt a shiver go down his spine – that look reminded him _way_ too much of Anko. "Thou truly art a distinctively different Campione, The strength thou seized from one's compatriots ought to be paltry, yet one's wisdom tell one that thou art an exceedingly dangerous foe, and one might suffer surprisingly deep wounds… just as a trap causes one to feel menaced." She mused thoughtfully. "So, one will ask you a question. How thou doth reply shall determine our relation henceforth. One is Athena, the goddess of both martial and intellectual pursuits. Thou may surrender or take up the challenge. Tell one, what is thine reply?"

"Well, if you don't give up on getting the Gorgoneion… then there's only one option." Naruto pointed out.

"Thou speaketh the truth. Battle between gods and Campione can only bring both to grief – there can be no real result. However, there is yet another way to settle this matter." Athena remarked as suddenly her eyes began to glow and Naruto found himself unable to move. "One's deepest apologies, Naruto Uzumaki. 'tis undeniable that you are a warrior, and even more sadly, also a king. In thine defense, someday thou might emerge to be a great hero, though it is a day that will sadly never arrive – please forgive one." She apologized as she approached and wrapped her arms behind his head before leaning in and with her cherry-red lips, planted a kiss firmly on Naruto's own.

" _ **Naruto! Snap out of it!"**_ Kurama snapped at him.

" _I can't move, damn it!"_ Naruto shot back.

"One seekth the Gorgoneion. Restest in repose, Naruto Uzumaki. Thy breath, thy very life has been grasped by Athena. Go thy lonely ways to the dark recesses of the earth, the cold, empty halls of the dead." Athena whispered as she pulled back and connecting their mouths was a tendril of black mist that reeked of death.

" _ **Tree of Life that feeds on the blood of war, One Eyed God from which beasts are born, grant onto me your Divine Fruit!"**_ Naruto desperately chanted in the confines of his own mind as his body was still frozen. _**"I shall gaze through the Eyes of the Kaguya!"**_ he finished causing his eyes to turn milky white with bulging veins becoming the _**Byakugan**_ while on his forehead a vertical slit opened to reveal the crimson _**Rinne-Sharingan**_.

Focusing on her glowing eyes first, he felt the **[Sharingan]** copy her Authority, the **[** **Serpent's Evil Eyes]** which she was using to paralyze and potentially petrify him with.

" _ **That dangerous black mist! Focus on that!"**_ Kurama advised.

Following the Biiju's instruction, he gazed upon the power linking their mouths with the **[Rinnegan]** and within the blink of an eye said black mist was drawn into his third eye and absorbed, causing Athena to stagger back in shock and released the hold of her eyes on him.

Unfortunately, the Authority she was using to kill him was not compatible with any he already had. **[Breath of Death]** , the Authority of a God that ruled over the Underworld, a God of Death, was indeed stolen by the Authority Theft power of the **[Rinnegan]** , however due to the incompatibility instantly sealed not only the **[Kaguya]** Incarnation but the full **[Tails of the Shinju]** Authority. The only good thing about it was that it would keep the **[Breath of Death]** away from Athena's use for 24 hours regardless, and even make it his own should the goddess die within that time.

"Even in your last moments, you bare your fangs." Athena remarked, approval shinning in her eyes.

" _ **She's also a goddess of war."**_ Kurama informed him.

" _Good for her!"_ Naruto mentally groaned.

"Still, even with thine determination, without the will to take arms all comes to naught. Determination without force is useless on the battlefield." Athena's tone of voice displayed the entertainment she found from Naruto's struggles even as he collapsed to his knees.

" _Too late, the_ _ **[Breath of Death]**_ _has already affected me too much."_ Naruto realized. " _In that case…"_ focusing on his **[Persian Warlord]** Authority, the sigil of the **[Ram]** Incarnation appeared in his mind's eye before shinning brightly and engulfing him, waiting for the him to reach the point where it fully activated.

" _ **Eloi, Eloi, Lama Sabachthani! My God! Why hast thou forsaken me!"**_ Erica called out. _**"Though each bone of my body is shattered, my heartache melts like a lit candle. You shall bury me in the dust of dead earth! Wild dogs surround me, evil company hems me in!"**_

" _You go, Erica!"_ Naruto mentally cheered.

" _ **You do realize your vixen doesn't stand a chance against the Serpent Goddess… right?"**_ Kurama drawled.

" _Don't jinx her!"_

" _ **O Lord my Savior, I beseech you— aid me! Snatch me away from the weapons of the enemy, snatch me from the jaws of the lion, snatch me from the horns of the bull!"**_ Erica kept chanting as she rushed in, her blade flashing, facing an agile, evading Athena. _**"Thus I do declare the name of God, that the world may now offer service, offer praise to the Eternal!"**_

With that, the Italian beauty took a guarding position before the collapsed blond.

"Goddess Athena, as a subordinate of Naruto Uzumaki, the knight Erica Blandelli humbly beseeches. If it pleases you, depart immediately. If thou suffers not to heed my pleadings, I shall defend mine Lord with mine blade!" Erica declared.

Having heard her declaration, the goddess turned and acknowledged the girl for the first time.

"Oh? As a stepdaughter of Prometheus – as a follower of Hermes, thou art willing to die for your master?" Athena inquired.

"If necessary. To perish in a glorious manner for one's Lord, the knight feels only pleasurable satisfaction. In choosing as enemy the most ancient of goddesses, Athena, an understanding such as this is only natural." She spoke. Inwardly however… _"Why is Naruto… always making life hard for me?!"_ she mentally moaned.

Glancing back at her friend and sworn lord, her expression tightened and her resolve solidified.

" _ **O lion of steel, thou art the mind and body of sorrow and fury. Thou art the harbringer of grief to gods and spirits, one who will bathe in the blood of your foes— Appear before me, the spear of Longinus - !"**_ she uttered, channeling the Golgotha spell she had already invoked into her blade, transforming it into a spear that could pierce even gods.

Naruto sensed the power in that spear and recognized what it could do. And if a novice like him could, the most certainly so could a Goddess of Wisdom like Athena. As such, he realized he needed to interfere before Erica got killed protecting him.

" _ **Amaterasu."**_ He whispered and instantly Athena's left arm was lit in pitch black flames.

While both girls stared in shock at the appearance of the black flames, Naruto used what was left of his mobility to lunge forwards on his belly and grab Erica's ankle.

"Wha - ?" Erica blinked in shock before they both disappeared in an orange flash.

"A tactical retreat." Athena remarked before focusing her attention on the flames burning her arm. They were hot, as hot as the Authorities of Sun Gods, yet held not on ounce of Divinity. Thus they could only be of mortal magic. "Strange… one shall investigate this after mine power hast been restored." He decided before attempting to extinguish the flames with her power… only to watch in shock as it only fed the flames, making them reach her shoulder.

Taking a moment to recollect herself, she conjured a mass of water above herself and dropped it onto the flames… only for it to evaporate on contact, the flames remaining.

"Cursed flames of some sort." The goddess realized before grimacing at her remaining option.

With a sigh, she ripped away not just her sleeve but the skin beneath a well, dropping it onto the rooftop where it continued to burn unhindered. Focusing on her arm, she nodded in satisfaction at the sight of new skin having already formed and it took just a thought to fix her attire.

"Naruto Uzumaki… what strange powers thou possessest." She remarked, thinking of not just the flames, but how he had stopped her **[Breath of Death]** as well. Shaking her head, she took flight and headed towards where she sensed the Gorgoneion.

Meanwhile, Naruto had teleported himself and Erica to a Hiraishin marker neat a river where they landed on the sand.

" **Naruto? Are you okay? Speak to me!"** Erica shouted in worry as she shook his shoulders.

In response, Naruto's eyes once again lit up with the _**Mangekyo Sharingan**_.

" _ **Tsukuyomi."**_ He whispered and suddenly Erica found herself in a forest facing a perfectly alright Naruto.

"What is this?" she looked around in confusion.

"It's an illusion I cast on you." Naruto replied. "I can't speak much in the real world at the moment so I used it to talk to you properly and explain what's about to happen." He grimaced.

"What's about to happen?" Erica asked, having a bad feeling about this.

"Athena placed a death curse or some sort on me, so I'm going to die. It won't be permanent!" he quickly added at the look in Erica's eyes "But I'll be dead for a while."

"How long is a while?" Erica calmed down a bit.

"I don't know, a couple hours or so? I'm hopping it's before Athena reaches Yuri. I've always healed fast, so I'm counting on that." He explained.

"…Alright, I'll look after your body." Erica promised.

"And after Kurama." Naruto added. "I don't know what would happen to him if he's inside me when I die, and I'm not risking it."

"Very well." The blonde sighed.

With that, they found themselves back near the river and Naruto's stomach was quickly covered in a crimson chakra that grew and separated itself from him, solidifying into a waist-high Kurama.

Seconds after that, his world went dark before her found himself in a familiar setting.

"Pandora?" the blond blinked.

"Hello Naruto." The purple haired goddess greeted him as his head rested in her lap. "Before you ask, whenever you temporarily die, you'll always end up here." She informed him.

"That so?" Naruto mussed. "How have you been?"

"Better then you, apparently." Pandora pointed out dryly. "Honestly getting yourself killed over a kiss!"

"Hey! She kissed me! And it's not like she gave me a choice in the matter!" Naruto protested.

"Perhaps… but you don't seem too upset about it, now are you?" Pandora shrewdly pointed out, earning a blush from her adopted son. "Now, you'll be leaving here soon, so let me give you some advice. In the future, you will likely face a powerful God of Steel, the Strongest Steel in fact. Beware of his Divine Sword, Excalibur. A single cut from it will seal away your Authorities for a period of time." She warned him seriously.

"That's… not good." Naruto grimaced. While he was not defenseless without his Authorities, the fact remained that they were powerful tools and being stripped of them while fighting someone that strong would really suck. "What's his name?"

"His name is R – " Pandora began to speak before pausing as his vision faded to white.

When he opened his eyes next, he was in a similar position, only on Erica's lap.

"How does it feel? Can you get up?" she asked softly.

"Yeah, I'm fully recovered. How long was I gone?" Naruto inquired as he got up.

"Close to an hour." Erica informed him. "It probably would have taken longer had you not interrupted her."

"Hm, I don't feel Yuri's beacon to have activated, so Athena probably hasn't found he yet." He said as he closed his eyes.

" **You're right, but that Snake Goddess will be there soon."** Kurama remarked as he approached.

"Yeah, it's best to prepare for the worst." Naruto said grimly before turning toward Erica. "When I interrupted Athena's **[Breath of Death]** my **[Tails of the Shinju]** Authority got sealed for a day. I'll have to rely on my other Authorities."

"We need to forge the Golden Sword." Erica understood.

"Yeah. Please teach me everything you know about Athena. I must prepare myself to fight that goddess." The whiskered blond requested.

"Just what I wanted to hear." Erica grinned before pouncing on him, her lips claiming his, beginning to cast the _**Instruction**_ spell the only way it worked on Campione – orally.

When they breathlessly came up for air a while later, they found themselves facing a slightly blushing but widely grinning Arianna, Erica's maid.

"Arianna!" Erica yelped. "How long have you been here?"

"Oh, since before Lord Uzumaki woke up. You did say that I needed to come ungently, Erica-sama. I merely chose not to disturb you." She replied.

"…Right." Erica mumbled.

"We should hurry to Yuri's location. Before Athena gets to her." Naruto pointed out.

"Indeed, Arianna shall…" Erica began.

"She used the beacon. You coming?" Naruto cut her off urgently.

"Yes." Was all she managed to say before Naruto grabbed her shoulder and they teleported, appearing before a shaken Yuri Mariya in an orange flash.

"Thou art too late, Naruto Uzumaki." Athena declared as she held the Gorgoneion above her head as she was engulfed in pure power of purplish black _**"**_ _ **One sings, the carol of the trinity goddess. Connecting skies, earth with darkness, reincarnation with wisdom. One sings, the melody of the demoted goddess. Born as queen yet seen as snake of forbiddance, to the queen's grievance. One sings, the ballad of the traumatized goddess. Disgraced by the esteemed father, fell to humiliation as the mother. One named Athena, daughter of Zeus, patron of Athens, maiden of eternity.**_ _ **Past, is the nurturing earth mother of all things! Past, is the dark mistress of the underworld! Past, is the spreading of heavenly wisdom from the enlightened goddess! One pledges, Athena shall soon return to the Athena of origin!"**_ she sang and the further she got, the more she changed.

Gone was the young teenager in a school uniform. Now, Athena stood as a beautiful lady in her late teens or early twenties, with her flowing silver hair reaching her waist, the white geek toga she now wore showing off her bountiful curves without appearing obscene in the least. As she opened her eyes to gaze upon them, a slight slit of her pupils making one think of a snake, delight shone in them.

"This one now stands ready to face you with all her might, Naruto Uzumaki." Athena declared in a delicate yet powerful voice, lacking most of the coldness from before even as a scythe appeared in her hands.

"Sounds good to me." Naruto grinned confidently as he dashed straight at her.

In response, Athena slashed at him with her scythe at blinding speed which he was unable to dodge…

Until he activated the **[Raptor]** , entering the realm of Godspeed as he blurred around her strike and straight at her where he grabbed her arms near the shoulder, preventing further movement… and then picked her up and ran with her.

"Did he just…?" Yuri blinked.

"Yes. He did." Erica chuckled.

Athena herself was quite shocked as well; it's not every day her opponents pick her up, throw her over their shoulder and ran off with her – which was exactly what Naruto just did!

Shaking out of her stunned lack of movement, she wretched herself from Naruto's grip… causing him to trip and sent them careening heads over heels, ending up slamming into a tree where they finally stopped.

Opening their eyes, they realized their position and a drop of blood began to drip from Naruto's nostril.

Athena was laying on her back, with the blond Campione straddling he waist as he leaned over her, his right hand on the ground holding him steady… while his left was groping her bare breast, her toga having ripped during their tumble. They stared for a few moments at each-other's bodies before their eyes met and Naruto didn't need the Sharingan to predict her next move.

With a resounding crack, he was slapped a few feet away by the blushing goddess who hurriedly fixed her attire, all the while glaring at him.

" **How dare thee?!"** she yelled before continuing in a lower but still high tone "Thou dare defile this virgin goddess?!"

"Oi, oi! I didn't want to grope you!" Naruto quickly protested as he took a couple steps back from the image of righteous female rage before him.

"Thou insinuate one is not attractive?" she demanded.

"You are! Beautiful! Gorgeous!" he hurried to assure her. "I was just not planning on groping you when I picked you up."

"So you were planning on doing so on another occasion?" she snapped back. "Mayhap thou wishes to claim this Athena as spoils after our battle?! How dare you?!"

" **Stop putting words in my mouth, damn it!"** Naruto yelled.

"This one shall silence thou mouth. Permanently." Athena decreed and the ground beneath them seemed to become fluid as tendrils of earth erupted while taking the form of giant serpents which instantly attacked the blond.

In response, he jumped back to avoid the first lunge even as he formed a cross-shaped Handseal.

" _ **Taju Kage Bunshin no jutsu!"**_ he called out engulfing the entire area in chakra smoke momentarily. When it disapeared, close to a hundred Naruto's were present.

" _ **How long are you going to hold back?"**_ Kurama asked in annoyance through their mental link.

" _We're in a city! I can't use my big moves here!"_ the whiskered blond protested.

" _ **Is that all that's staying your hand?"**_ Kurama questioned doubtfully.

"… _No. When I held her just no, I connected to her a bit."_ Naruto admitted.

" _ **Oh brother."**_ Kurama groaned.

" _She's just lashing out. Her position was taken from her, as was a good chunk of her power and she's feeling vulnerable. Sound familiar?"_ Naruto taunted.

" _ **Not at all."**_ The fox sniffed before remembering the real reason why he had contacted the blond. _**"By the way, when we get back home, you owe me some seafood."**_

"… _why?"_ Naruto blinked, wondering what he pissed the fox with _this time_.

" _ **You dumbass! You LEFT ME BEHIND when you teleported to the shrine maiden!"**_ Kurama roared into the blond's mind, the distraction almost getting his head bitten off by a giant snake.

"… _how about some shrimp?"_ Naruto asked sheepishly.

" _ **Hmph. It will suffice."**_ Kurama allowed.

" _Great! Now let me focus on my fight."_ He terminated the conversation even as he summoned the Golden Sword of his **[Warrior]** Incarnation, the Kage Bunshin using a Henge to appear to be doing the same. _**"**_ _ **Heed the power of my words, let justice reveal itself, under the strength and eloquence of this incantation, for strength is ever victorious, for strength is the answer to all things!"**_ he called out, golden power emanating from him as the divine space encroached on the world.

"That sword! The cursed gold that may violate one's divinity." Athena instantly recognized it.

" _ **You are a goddess who has always had a strong ties to snakes. Both Athena and Medusa are snake goddesses, both sharing the same origin, and both bearing the avatar of the frightening Snake, and the ancient Mother Earth. The goddess who controls the bounty of the earth was not always so compassionate. When winter came, she took the life born of spring. Withering crops, and causing natural disasters on a whim."**_ Naruto managed to chant before a Kage Bunshin had to bail him out with a _**Kawarimi**_. _**"She was also the goddess of life and death. God of death, Athena, also manifests herself as the owl, crossing between night, and the Underworld. Ruled over death and darkness. Serpent of Mother Earth, bird of the god of death, and womanly wisdom. I understand now that this trinity is the oldest form of your divinity."**_ Another Kage Bunshin saved his skin as the giant serpents became more violent and vicious as their creator's mood began to drop.

"Cease your rambling and fight!" Athena snapped at him.

" _ **You were once the queen, the winged serpent. You're not the daughter of Zeus, you never were. You were the Queen of the Gods. That was your rightful place, wasn't it?"**_ at this Athena unleashed her petrifying gaze upon him once more and he barely held onto the Sword as he was switched with a clone. _"Damn, at this rate I'll either lose control over the Sword or become a garden decoration! I need to distract her attention!"_ he decided as he removed his left hand from the hilt of the Golden Sword. _**"**_ _ **One who supports the heavens and the spreads throughout earth! Those who bestow grace and victory. Show me the proper path, for I am noble!"**_ he incanted causing clouds to form through which lightning began to flash before striking down at the silver haired beauty.

"A fine attempt, but one is not without protection!" Athena smiled as her scythe shifted into a shield bearing the face of a woman with snakes for hair, which stopped the lighting without issue.

That was fine with Naruto – he only needed the **[Goat]** Incarnation to take some of her attention off him.

" _ **As the goddess of life and death, and the great goddess of wisdom. But then came the rebellion against the queen. All of the male gods revolted, and together, they overthrew the Queen. Then ultimately Zeus became King of the Gods. Myth was rewritten, and the old queen, Athena, became the king's daughter. And Medusa was reduced to a monster."**_ His Kage Bunshin now had to resort to switching with him while in mid-air as not only were the giant snakes attacking them, but the ground bellow as well, randomly forming spears to impale them. _**"Thus, the queen of wisdom, the winged serpent, lost her Snake form, becoming merely a beautiful goddess. A beautiful, but tragically empty vessel. And the Snake, your true form as Mother Earth, was eventually mentioned in tales as a different creature. The winged serpent... in other words, the dragon. The evil dragon the hero defeats in myth is actually none other than the degraded form of the defeated goddess of Mother Earth."**_ The next switch brought him on top of one of the massive snakes and he was forced to use a portion of the Sword's power to kill it and the handful that followed as he was out of clones. _**"Your own tragic story. A fallen Queen. And that, Athena, is who you are!"**_

" **Enough!"** Athena boomed. **"One shall not be humiliated further by one's past betrayals!"**

" _ **Amenotejikara!"**_ Naruto called out as soon as his eyes flared with the power of the _**Rinnegan**_ , teleporting right before Athena, taking her by surprise as he swung the blade at her chest, smashing into and breaking through her divinity.

" **NO!"** Athena screamed in panic as she flinched away, choosing to allow a lightning strike to hit her as she returned the Aegis Shield to its prior Scythe form and slashed at Naruto, blocking the Golden Sword with the shaft while the blade cut into his shoulder, making him flinch and lose control over the Goat Authority. "That's it! Show this Athena thou power and skill, not just thou cunning, Naruto Uzumaki!" Athena declared, exhilaration filling her voice as they fought head on.

And Naruto was losing. While he had more strength, Athena had incredible skill and experience, and only the still active _**Rinnegan**_ bearing six tomoe each allowed him to keep up with her.

" _Time to shift the scales."_ Naruto decided as he surprised her be suddenly dropping the Golden Sword rather than continuing to attack. _**"Shinra Tensei!"**_ he roared, smashing her away with a wave up gravity and through a couple dozen trees before she managed to arrest her involuntary flight, but he used that time productively. _**"**_ _ **For victory, hasten forth before me! O Immortal Sun, I beseech thee to grant radiance to the stallion. O Stallion that moveth godlike with wondrous grace, bringest forth the halo of thy master!"**_ he incanted and suddenly a sun was born in the night sky before descending upon Athena in the form of a great stallion of fire.

" _ **Aegis!"**_ Athena uttered as she reformed her shield, blocking the **[White Stallion]** and keeping it at bay. "A good attempt to scatter one's darkness, but it is futile if it does not hit!" she called out to her opponent before turning to look at him at the sound of a bell-like screech to see Naruto holding a large greenish sphere of swirling energy bound in a ring of rotation white blades… before the orb was tainted black as Athena's own **[Breath of Death]** as it poured from Naruto's hand.

A second later, the orb was slamming into her, causing her to lose hold of the _**Aegis**_ allowing the **[White Stallion]** to hit as well, the two attacks merging into a massive black dome of deadly burning cutting wind that engulfed her and the area she was in.

As it began to die out, Erica and Yuri arrived near Naruto who was watching the dome intently. Soon enough, the dome faded allowing the charred-black from of Athena to drop from where the winds had suspended her into the newly formed crater.

"Looks like it's over." Erica remarked as she followed Naruto down into the crater, with Yuri right behind her.

As they arrived, Athena's charred form shattered, revealing her previous younger form alive and healthy… and completely naked.

"Come and take your prize, Naruto Uzumaki. "Athena sighed as she slowly got to her feet. "Strike me down and gain your new Authority."

"…Nah, I don't feel like it." the whiskered blond looked away with a blush on his face. "I don't want your Authority. Just stop causing trouble and we'll call it even, alright? How did you survive that anyway? I was sure that last one finished you off."

"The Immortality of the Snake." Erica answered for the defeated goddess. "It grants great healing powers and limited resurrection."

"That is so." Athena nodded. "Very well, Naruto Uzumaki, I shall accept mine defeat gracefully. However, I shall sharpen my fangs and return. Next time, it shall be my body standing above yours." She warned him before noticing he had turned beet red and blushing herself as she realized how her statement could be taken, so she made herself scarce, disappearing in a flock of owls.

"Naruto-san." Yuri spoke politely, but her tone for some reason it filled him with dread. "What did Athena mean by that? Why was she blushing? Why are _you_ blushing?"

In response to the narrowed eyes of the girls, Naruto could only laugh nervously.

 **A.N.: Finally got this done. Hope you liked it. It was surprisingly hard to write it despite having a very good idea on what I wanted it to look like.**


	6. Chapter 6

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own Naruto or Campione. Naruto is the property of Masashi Kishimoto and Campione is the property of Takedzuki Jou.

 _Italics text = character thinking to themselves._

 _Underline+Italics = character communicating with telepathy_

 **Bold text = shouting**

 _ **Bold+Italcs = Casting Spell/Ability**_

 **Chapter Six**

 **Devil King of the Dead**

 _June 20_ _th_ _– Tokyo_

Erica Blandelli was a woman of conviction. She did not shy away from her duties, she did not avoid hard work – usually – and she did not make decisions against her morals which she knew she would end up regretting.

As such, she could confidently say that she was a woman with no regrets – in fact, she had done so, numerous times, in the past.

That being said, as she picked herself up from the groan, panting and sweating heavily as well as covered in dirt, she had to admit that she was beginning to regret asking Naruto to train her seriously so that she would not lose her edge while watching him usually take out Heretic Gods on his own.

Another reason was to show him that she could handle herself against strong opponents to soothe his worries. He might not have said it, but she could tell that since fighting Athena he had been treating her more carefully, as if she was made of glass and if he held her too tightly she might break.

She understood, somewhat, that he was scared of losing her so soon after forming a bond with her. Naruto treasured his bonds, partly because he had had so few of them growing up, and partly because his emotions tended to be more intense than for other people. She knew this well, ever since he had used Ninshu to connect their hearts back in Italy.

So she put in her best effort when sparing with him and when she came up short she pushed further to improve herself, to fill the gaps in her sword style, to convince him she was not a defenseless girl like Yuri Mariya – that she was a Great Knight, the _**Diavolo Rosso**_ even!

Sadly, while he did acknowledge her ability to defend herself, he also showed her exactly how she compared to even just a Chunin from the Elemental Nations by placing seals on himself to limit not only his movements but also the chakra he could call on to what he roughly estimated a Chunin to be capable of judging from what he knew of the Rookie Nine.

" _I have a lot to improve on."_ Erica thought wryly as she left the training ground, heading to take a shower.

Watching her from a distance away, Naruto had similar thought.

" _She has a long way to go."_ He mused.

" _ **Damn right she does!"**_ Kurama snorted. _**"What did you expect? I she may be impressive by the standards around here, but she's barely on par with a Samurai from back home. It's only that Golgotha spell that gives her an advantage, and it takes her forever to set it up."**_

" _I've noticed."_ Naruto rolled his eyes. _"I don't get why, though!"_

" _ **Oh?"**_ Kurama inquired in amusement.

" _You saw her, didn't you? You saw how she trains, how much effort she puts in it. So why isn't she stronger?"_ Naruto asked in frustration.

" _ **Heh, you're still a fool, brat, if you didn't notice something this simple."**_ Kurama said smugly.

" _Enlighten me, oh great Kyubi-sama."_ Naruto said sarcastically.

" _ **Chakra. She lacks chakra. Sure, she may have the Yin side of chakra which they call magic around here, but that's not useful in physical development on its own. Yin chakra she can use in her spells like ninja use it in Ninjutsu and Genjutsu, but physically it's a rather poor enhancer. Unless she gets the kind of control over her Yin chakra that pink haired teammate of yours had, or her master that big breasted Hokage, she won't improve her physical power with just Yin chakra."**_ Kurama explained.

" _That's it, isn't it? She doesn't have Yang chakra."_ Naruto thought grimly.

" _ **Well, it's more that she can't use it rather then not having any."**_ Kurama corrected. _**"With her level of physical conditioning, she should have around Jonin levels of Yang chakra. However, unlike the people of the Elemental Nations, the humans here lack Chakra Coils. Sure, they have some other circulatory systems for their Yin chakra or mana as they call it, but it's not made to support Yang chakra as well. So don't bother trying to teach her how to harness her Yang chakra. It would do more harm than good."**_ He warned.

"… _How about externally?"_ Naruto asked after a while.

" _ **Hm?"**_ the fox inquired.

" _What if I infuse her with my own Yang chakra during training? Would that help her physical development?"_ Naruto suggested.

" _ **You mean giving her a chakra shroud like you did for the Allied Shinobi Forces during the battle against the Juubi?"**_ Kurama inquired.

" _Yeah, that, though I would use the_ _ **Divine Protection of the Demon Fox**_ _that's part of the Kyubi Incarnation from my Shinju Authority, since it's fashioned to work the same way, probably even better than I did it before."_ Naruto shot back.

" _ **That… has potential."**_ Kurama admitted _**"It would not help he use her own Yang chakra, but being enhanced by that Authority repeatedly would after a while leave her with some permanent benefits from it. Plus, any training she does while using it would be far more effective."**_

" _Yep. We can try it in our next training session."_ The whiskered blond decided before heading to take a shower himself.

 _June 21_ _st_

"Okay, let me get this straight." Shizuka began after Naruto finished his explanation.

They were once again in the training ground Naruto had created for himself within the mountains, accessible only through flight or teleportation as any ground methods of transports were useless due to the terrain.

Present were not only Naruto and Erica, but Yuri and Shizuka also.

After he had explained to her what he had in mind, Erica had suggested they invite Yuri along as well since she might get some additional insight due to her _**Spirit Vision**_. As such, while they had lunch together Erica made the invitation to the Hime-Miko who was quick to agree as she was quite curious about this Authority of Naruto's that can be used to improve other people.

The way she explained it, while not all Authorities were geared for combat or even useful in daily life, the vast majority of them were the kind that affected only the Campione user beneficially while causing disaster in the surroundings. As an example, she gave the Authority **Metamorphosis** obtained by the American Campione John Pluto Smith from the Aztec God Tezcatlipoca which allowed him to take multiple forms in exchange for various sacrifices, like local rain, causing earthquakes, light and man-made objects such as buildings.

Shizuka, who had tagged along during their lunch break, was a bit more suspicious regarding Naruto's invitation. She was acquainted to Yuri Mariya already, both being members of the Tea Ceremony Club, and was well aware that until Erica's transfer Yuri was regarded as the number one beauty of the Academy, and even now many considered her on par with the Italian Blonde. As such, knowing full well of Naruto's relationship with beauties such as Erica and Lucretia Zola, she declared that she would be tagging along to make sure Naruto would be keeping his libido in check. That was what she claimed, at least, though she was left blushing and stuttering along with Yuri when Erica asked her what she would do if she and Yuri did not want Naruto's libido to be held back at all.

This led to Naruto teleporting the three girls after they had gathered at his home to his training ground.

"You want to use an Authority to boost Erica's power hoping that by doing it over and over again some of that power will permanently seep into her?" the younger girl asked doubtfully.

"At the very least she'll get used to fighting in that form which will be good for her when she actually needs to use it in battle." Naruto explained. "I know from personal experience that using a new power-up for the first time while in battle can end badly." He grimaced, remembering his fight against Haku in the Land of Waves and that against Sasuke at the Valley of the End."

"It looks to me like you know a lot about this power-up." Shizuka eyed him suspiciously.

"It's because I used to use it myself when I was younger." Naruto admitted. "Back before I had it as an Authority, I could use the _**Chakra Cloak**_ by borrowing some of Kurama's chakra. It had three stages, actually, but I'm not sure how many are usable with it as an Authority."

"Three stages?" Erica asked curiously.

"The _**Chakra Cloak**_ , the _**Blood Shroud**_ and the _**Chakra Mode**_." Naruto enumerated, deciding that a Tailed Beast Transformation, be it partial or complete, will be impossible for her. "The one I'm expecting the **Divine Protection of the Demon Fox** to be like is the _**Chakra Cloak**_. You'll basically be covered in a layer of translucent red chakra that will also seep into your body to a degree, increasing your speed, strength, durability, reserves and grant you a strong regenerative power."

"I see…" Erica mused thoughtfully.

"What about the other two?" Shizuka asked.

"The _**Blood Shroud**_ sounds ominous." Yuri commented.

"Yeah, well…" Naruto grimaced. "The _**Blood Shroud**_ give the user a more intense layer of red chakra, enough that it burns away their skin upon activation causing some of their blood to mix with the chakra, turning it a dark red. The boosts are several times greater than for the _**Chakra Cloak**_ though, so it's worth it. And the regeneration lasts a bit after the _**Blood Shroud**_ fades making sure the user's skin is regenerated. If overused, it can eat away at the user's lifespan though."

"A double-edged sword, then." Erica nodded in understanding. "And the last one?"

"The _**Chakra Mode**_ is where the red chakra is purified and mixed with your own, infusing your entire body and increasing all your abilities exponentially. It's like this." Naruto explained before being engulfed in golden flame-like chakra with black markings.

"It feels… warm." Erica blushed slightly as she touched Naruto's chest while Yuri and Shizuka were poking his arms curiously.

"Anyway, let's start, shall we?" Naruto suggested as he dismissed his power-up.

"Yes, let's." Erica agreed.

" _ **Tree of Life that feeds on the blood of war, One Eyed God from which beasts are born, grant onto me your Divine Fruit!"**_ Naruto chanted _**"I shroud my companions in the power of the Kyubi!"**_ he finished as he placed a hand on Erica's shoulder.

From his hand a bubbling layer of red chakra quickly spread all over her body until she was within a transparent red clock shaped like a fox, ears and tail included.

"This… fells pretty amazing." Erica admitted as she flexed her hand before giving Naruto a grin. "Let's see what I can do with this, shall we?"

"Let's!" Naruto grinned widely.

What followed under Yuri and Shizuka's awed gazes was not a fight between humans. It was more akin to one between Campione or Gods. Every time they made contact by either blocking or parrying blows, shockwaves erupted from the point of contact. Every attack that impacted the ground or the surrounding boulders left behind craters. Every attack that met its mark cracked bones or severed flesh only for the wounds to heal in seconds, minutes at most.

More importantly though, Erica could feel it. The longer time passed, the stronger she became. Turning her attention inwards had revealed that in great part it was due to her body adapting to the foreign energy, allowing a more efficient use of it. However, it was also thanks to her body improving itself to handle the energy better while healing her wounds using the regenerative powers of the _**Chakra Cloak**_.

Eventually, though, the _**Chakra Cloak**_ faded away after becoming thinner and thinner as its energy was being used up one way or another.

"Hm, you were right about it devoting the last of its energy to healing." Erica mused as she cautiously stretched the leg that had been slashed open not one minute before. "So, how did I do?" she eyed her audience curiously.

"I've never seen another human so strong." Yuri admitted. _"The one that comes closest is Ena-san when using her_ _ **Divine Possession**_ _and even she would fall short, if only because calling upon more divine power would risk her losing control."_ She thought privately.

"What am I then?" Naruto asked with a pout.

"A Campione. You're no longer just human anymore, remember." Shizuka pointed out dryly.

"Not that you were completely human even before that. You are, after all, distantly descended from the goddess you killed." Erica added.

"Well, I suppose that's true." Naruto admitted.

"Say, can you use it again?" Erica inquired.

"Yes, but I don't recommend it." Naruto frowned. "It will place a greater strain on your body."

"Not on me. On Yuri." The Italian blonde corrected.

" **Eh?! Me!?"** the Hime-Miko exclaimed.

"Yep!" Erica confirmed. "I noticed that all my spells were stronger. But since things like _**Spirit Vision**_ are more like hereditary traits then spells, I'm wondering if it will also improve. Especially since the source of this Authority is a Goddess with powerful eye powers." She explained.

"I… suppose it can't hurt to try." Yuri admitted shyly. "If it's alright with Naruto-san." She added.

"Sure." Naruto instantly agreed. "Actually, I'm almost certain that you'll get a boost to your _**Spirit Vision**_."

"Why's that?" Shizuka demanded.

"Well, quite a few of Kaguya's descendants inherited a degraded form of her powerful eyes." Naruto explained. "And using her power along with those eyes has awesome results." He said, thinking of Obito and Madara.

"That makes sense." Shizuka agreed. "Divine eyes should work better with divine energy since they're more compatible like that."

"Let's do this." Naruto approached Yuri and placed a hand on her shoulder. _**"Tree of Life that feeds on the blood of war, One Eyed God from which beasts are born, grant onto me your Divine Fruit! I shroud my companions in the power of the Kyubi!"**_ he called out and like before the _**Chakra Cloak**_ spread over the Hime-Miko, just like it did with Erica.

"How do you feel?" Erica inquired as Naruto stepped back.

"…A bit overwhelmed." Yuri admitted softly as she kept her eyes closed, her face scrunched in concentration. "I feel just like when I'm about to use my Spirit Vision… but not quite there yet." She commented. "Maybe if I push it a bit…"

"Don't strain yourself, Yuri. You just started using it. It'll take a while for you to get a hang on it." Naruto advised.

"How long did it take you to master it?" Erica eyed her fellow blond.

"I never did." Naruto admitted sheepishly. "Since I had the Kyubi, I could go up to nine tails with it. Unlike you though, my power source and I were not on such good terms at the time. Kurama tried to take over and possess me every time, and I tended to lose control over myself at four tails and slip into using the _**Blood Shroud**_ as a berserker. It was only after I became friends with Kurama that I became able to use both the _**Chakra Cloak**_ and the _**Blood Shroud**_ without problems, but since I have my _**Biiju Chakra Mode**_ now, I only use it since it's better in all ways."

"Is there any chance of us losing control by using the _**Blood Shroud**_?" Erica asked intently.

"It shouldn't be. After all, I'm not filling your head with violent thoughts and instincts like Kurama was doing to me; I'm just giving you some of my chakra, essentially." Naruto shrugged.

He had barely finished speaking when a surge of power erupted from Yuri, knocking them all off their feet and a short distance away from her. When they turned their attention to her, they froze at the sight of a dark crimson humanoid fox with three tails weaving behind her.

"Yuri?" Naruto asked cautiously as he slowly approached her. "Are you okay?"

" **Y-Yes."** Came the nervous reply. **"It hurt at first… but now it only itches all over."** She admitted. **"I…!"** she stiffened with a gasp, her previously white eyes turning the same shade of dulled mirror-like green they became when she was using her _**Spirit Vision**_. A few seconds later, she collapsed as the _**Blood Shroud**_ faded, her skin being regrown within moments.

"Yuri!" Naruto was instantly at her side. "Are you hurt? Did…?"

"H-He's coming." Yuri whispered in terror. "He's coming after me."

"Did you get a vision then?" Erica asked warily as she kneeled at her side.

"Y-Yes. He… he wants to use me again." Yuri whimpered.

"Who?" Shizuka demanded, wanting to know who had reduced her sempai to such a state.

"Marquis… Voban." Yuri uttered.

"Who's that?" Shizuka demanded.

"The Oldest Campione." Erica answered grimly. "Sasha Dejanstahl Voban, the Balkan's Devil. He's the oldest Campione alive, at over three hundred years."

"What's his connection to Yuri?" Naruto asked with a scowl.

"Four years ago, Marquis Voban gathered a large number of Hime-Miko from all over the world and used their power to summon a Heretic God for him to fight." Erica said in distasted. "Yuri and a friend of mine were among them. Over half of them died instantly when the Heretic God descended while nearly all the survivors went mad. Only a handful retained their sanity, Yuri and my friend amongst them."

"And now he wants to repeat it?" Naruto growled. "Like hell! There's no way I'm letting my friends get hurt just so some old bastard can have a good fight! I'll take him down myself!"

"Just as I expected from my Naruto." Erica smiled warmly.

"What Heretic God did he summon back then?" Shizuka asked. "I mean, if the old man is still alive, he must have taken its powers, right?"

"Not quite." Erica chuckled. "Sir Salvatore Doni interfered in Marquis Voban's plans by showing up and slaying Heretic God Siegfried himself, usurping the **Man of Steel** Authority."

"I guess Voban was not too happy about that." Naruto smirked.

"Not at all. He declared Sir Salvatore as his mortal enemy." Erica explained.

"I see… you wouldn't happen to know what other Authorities Voban has and who he got them from, would you?" Naruto asked hopefully.

"Well, he has several known Authorities." Erica mused. "The only one I know the source of is his **Storm and Drive** that he gained from slaying the Chinese Weather Trio, Bo Feng the green warrior of wind, Yu Shi the blue warrior of rain, and Lei Gong the red warrior of thunder."

"I see. What about his other Authorities? Even if I don't have the knowledge to sever them, I can at least expect them." The Campione pointed out.

"Well, he has **Legion of Hungry Wolves** that lets him summon hundreds of wolf Divine Beasts." Erica began. "Then there's his **Death Ring** that turns those he has slain into undead servants forced to obey him."

"Zombies. Great." Naruto groaned. "I'm already having _**Edo Tensei**_ flashbacks."

"That's all I can think of." Erica gave him a curious look at his comment.

" **Eyes of Sodom**." Yuri uttered as she slowly got up. "He can turn any living being he looks at into salt statues. It probably won't work completely on Heretic Gods or other Campione, but be careful."

"That's a pretty diverse list." Naruto mussed as he gently helped Yuri to her feet. "Now, normally I would invite you to spend the night at my place…"

"Eh?!" Yuri turned beet red.

"But since Shizuka lives next door it would be a bad idea since she might get caught in the crossfire. This old man Voban does not sound like the kind that cares for collateral damage." Naruto continued.

"That's true." Erica agreed.

"So why don't we spend the next few nights at a hotel?" Naruto offered, causing Yuri's blush to become even more intense.

"My, how daring of you Naruto." Erica commented sharply.

"You're invited as well, Erica." Naruto added. "I don't trust this guy to not attack you to try getting at me. Until this is resolved, I'm not letting you two out of my sight." He promised.

"Oho? Then does that mean you'll be taking baths with us, Naruto?" Erica teased.

"If I must. It's a sacrifice I'm willing to make." Naruto said with a grin.

"H-How shameless! Immoral!" a red-faced Yuri erupted into a rant about proper moral conduct.

"Oh, don't worry Mariya-sempai." Shizuka said with a sickly-sweet smile as she glared daggers at her neighbor. "He won't do anything I wouldn't do… _right_?" she pressed.

"Of course." Naruto smirked knowingly at her. "Nothing you wouldn't do." He agreed.

"T-Then it's settled." Shizuka looked away to hide her blush.

That evening, the three rented a suite at the best and most expensive hotel they could find in their part of Tokyo. It was while the two girls were taking a bath together – which Naruto declined to join, telling them that as much as he liked teasing them, he won't bathe with girls he's actually interested in unless they've been dating for a certain period of time, earning a nod of understanding from Erica who had expected as much while Yuri went bright red as she realized he had all but outright stated his interest in her – that Naruto received a phone call from a fellow blond.

"Hey, Doni. How's it going?" Naruto answered the call.

"Oh, I'm doing quite well, my friend. A little peaceful for my tastes, but I'm sure I'll get a good fight soon!" Salvatore Doni replied. "How about you? Anything interesting happened lately?"

"A few things." Naruto admitted. "I fought the Heretic Goddess Athena a while back."

"Oho! That's a powerful Earth Mother Goddess!" Doni exclaimed. "You won, though, I'm sure."

"Yeah, but I let her live. Couldn't really being myself to kill her." Naruto admitted.

"How come?" the Sixth asked curiously.

"I guess I kinda felt sorry for her. She got her position usurped by Zeus, then she got killed by Perseus… and when I fought her she looked like a girl barely in her mid-teens, if that old." Naruto shrugged. "I got a promise out of her to not cause trouble anymore."

"And insured that once she regains her strength she'll return to you for an even fiercer battle! Haha, clever, my friend!" Doni laughed.

"There's that too, I suppose." Naruto shrugged. "Though I think I might have another opponent soon."

"You wouldn't be talking about old Voban, would you?" Doni asked knowingly. "'Cause that's why I'm calling you. I heard a rumor that he's heading to Japan. Something about a Hime-Miko, I think."

"Yeah, that Hime-Miko is a friend of mine and had a premonition earlier today. So we're expecting him. I'm not letting him lay a hand on Yuri." Naruto said with conviction.

"Ata boy! Let me know how it goes, will you? I want to know if old Voban improved any in the past few years." Doni requested cheerfully.

"Sure, I'll call you later. Bye." Naruto replied and ended the call as the two girls came out of the bath wearing bathrobe over their night clothes. "It's confirmed. I just spoke with Doni: Voban is heading to Japan."

"Well, I guess this is an opportunity to see who the History Compilation Committee are more loyal to." Erica commented.

"What do you mean?" Yuri asked warily.

"While you and Naruto were renting this place down at the front desk, I called Amakasu-san and asked him to call us as soon as the get word of Marquis Voban arriving in Japan." Erica explained. "As far as I'm aware, Voban lacks an Authority that could be used for travel from Europe to Japan, so he will obviously use regular transport. Probably a private jet or such."

"And with the Committee having people everywhere, they'll know as soon as he lands." Naruto nodded.

"W-What are you going to do if they don't inform you?" Yuri asked warily.

"Nothing drastic." Naruto shrugged. "I probably just won't bother being as nice when they need my help with something. I won't attack them or anything." He assured her. "Unless they do something really stupid like attack you girls or try to kidnap you for Voban, of course." He added.

"They wouldn't…" Yuri began.

"They gave you and who knows how many others up to Voban on a silver platter four years ago." Erica pointed out dryly. "Granted, they did not have a Campione to protect them back then, but it was still a cowardly act. It is actually one of the reasons why the relations between the Copper Black Cross and the Bronze Black Cross are so tense despite us having similar roots. For that ritual four years ago, the Head of the Bronze Black Cross volunteered his own granddaughter, my friend Lily, to be used by Voban even though with Sir Salvatore's protection they could have easily rejected his request."

"If the Committee strikes any deal of this kind with Voban, they'll need new leaders." Naruto promised.

"Good to hear." Erica smiled as she disrobed revealing sheer nightgown that revealed all her curves but also that she was still wearing panties despite her normal preferences. "Now then, why don't you give us a massage? We've had a stressful day, after all."

"M-Massage!" Yuri stuttered.

"Yes, he's quite good at it." Erica praised.

"Don't worry, I won't touch anywhere you don't want me to." Naruto assured her.

"…Alright then. I'll be in your care." Yuri agreed hesitantly and disrobed as well leaving her in a light blue two-piece pajama, a far more modest sleepwear then Erica. "Erica-san can go first." She offered.

"Nonsense, Yuri." Erica grinned in a predatory fashion. "Naruto is man enough for the both of us."

In response to that, Naruto created a Kage Bunshin that gave the Hime-Miko a teasing grin, earning a yelp and a bright blush at the implications.

Much to Yuri's embarrassment, the following massage was something she enjoyed quite a bit given her occasional pleasured moans, to the point that she tuned out Erica's own significantly louder ones, leaving both girls flushed once it was over and done with.

Several minutes later, Erica was halfway through returning the favor while Yuri watched in embarrassment yet with keen eyes, when the Naruto's mobile phone rang.

"Sigh, some people have the lousiest timing." The whiskered blond grumbled before accepting the call. "Uzumaki here."

"Good evening, Uzumaki-san. This is Touma Amakasu speaking." Came the response. "I'm calling to inform you, as per miss Erica Blandelli's request, that the Devil King Sasha Dejanstahl Voban has arrived in Tokyo and is heading towards your location. He should arrive within the hour."

"Sigh, thank you for the information. Have a pleasant evening, Amakasu-san." Naruto replied before ending the call. "Voban will be here within the hour."

"Ugh, talk about rotten timing." Erica sighed as he marched up to her bed and pulled her nightgown over her head, leaving her topless, wearing only her panties.

"E-Erica-san!" Yuri exclaimed scandalized.

"Now's not the time for proper behavior, Yuri." Naruto gently informed the Hime-Miko even as he divested his shirt and short and reached for his pants.

Yuri stared wide-eyed at him – specifically at the _large_ sign that his earlier massage had felt just as arousing at it had looked – before snapping out of it and turning around before following their example.

She could be embarrassed later, when she didn't have the most dangerous Devil King after her.

As soon as they were dressed, Naruto grabbed their shoulders and teleported them all away to a park in the area that he knew to be usually deserted at night.

"Hm, not the best place for a battle against a Campione, but it will have to do." Erica commented.

"Now to find Voban and draw him here." Naruto said as he sat down cross-legged on the grass and closed his eyes as he entered Sage Mode. It did not take him long with his enhanced sensory powers to locate the massive energy signature that could only be a Heretic God or a Campione – though by the human feel, it was definitely the later. In addition, another weaker signature was with him, about even with Erica in terms of power. "Found him." He informed the girls. "He's about fifteen minutes away and there is another magic user with him."

"Anyone we need to be wary of?" Erica inquired.

"Well, I don't know who it is but they're about even with you, power-wise, if a bit weaker." Naruto mused. "The energy signature seems… well, it's similar to Yuri's but at the same time molded like yours." He frowned.

"So not quite a Hime-Miko, but not all the way to being a mage?" Erica mused. "It might be a witch. Hime-Miko have the potential to become witches and learn to use hermetic magic, however due to their rarity they tend to refrain and focus on their inborn powers instead." She explained at his confused look.

"Huh, learn something new every day." Naruto shrugged. He probably had this bit of information and more in what he took from Zamparini and Bianchi, but it was too troublesome to root through decades of information. It was faster to just ask Erica. "Well, let's send them an invitation." He smirked as he flared his power to the point that the ground beneath him began to shake slightly and the girls breathed heavily, before once more putting a leash on his power. "Yeah, that got their attention." He nodded in satisfaction as he sensed the two change course and head straight towards him.

As he had predicted, around fifteen minutes later two figures entered the clearing he, Erica and Yuri were waiting in and Naruto stood up from the bench to greet them.

The younger of the two, the one who Erica pronounced as a possible witch, was a beautiful, slender girl with a fairy-like appearance. She had blue eyes and long silver hair held in a ponytail that reached her lower back. She was garbed in what he recognized as a Knight attire of the Bronze Black Cross and bore a serious expression. And, apparently, she also happened to be the friend of Erica that had been forced to participate in the ritual to summon Heretic Siegfried four years ago, given her whisper off "Lily" in recognition.

The older one was a beast in human skin. That was how Naruto perceived him though his emphatic powers. Beyond the facade of a dignified man in his later years and in extremely good health, with silver hair and brown eyes, was an apex predator that had been starving for a good hunt for quite a while now and was now salivating at the thought of worthy prey.

"So, you are the Seventh King." The old man remarked with interest as a greeting.

"Yep, Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze is my name. And I assume you're my senior, Sasha Dejanstahl Voban?" the whiskered blond shot back casually.

"Indeed, it's good to see that you are so well informed." Voban smirked. "Definitely better than the Sixth."

"I think Doni is just an idiot rather than ignorant." Naruto snorted. "This is Erica Blandelli, **Diavolo Rosso** of the Copper Black Cross and I'm sure you remember Yuri Mariya from four years ago. Who is your lovely companion?"

"Liliana Kranjcar, Great Knight of the Bronze Black Cross." The silver haired girl introduced herself with a respectful bow.

"Charmed." Naruto gave her a warm smile which earned a blush before turning his attention to Voban, his expression became one of annoyance. "So, I hear you want Yuri here to use her as a sacrifice to summon a Heretic God. Again."

"Indeed." Voban smirked. "Four years ago, I gathered as many Hime-Miko I could manage to ensure I got a good hunt, but most of them proved useless, dying partway through the ritual. So this time I decided to go for quality over quantity. Since this girl survived unharmed before, she's clearly what I need."

"Well you can't have her. She's under my protection. If you want my friend, you'll have to go through me first." Naruto narrowed his eyes.

"Hoh? Quite protective over your servants, aren't you?" Voban chuckled. "Still, I have already claimed her, years ago, as mine. By all rights…"

"Let's skip the bullshit and get to the part where I bash your face in." Naruto cut him off dryly. "We both know that you only used Yuri as an excuse to come here. If you wanted her, you would have just had someone discretely retrieving her for you which would have drawn a hell lot less attention than coming yourself." He stated. "You came to bait me into a fight, let's get to it okay?"

"Hmph, quite the impertinent youngster, aren't you?" Voban remarked with dark amusement. "Nevertheless, you are quite right. After hearing how you defeated two Heretic Gods, one after another in the same week, you've caught my interest, brat. It's not often that newborn Campione are so able."

"I've become a Godslayer back in January, actually. Verethragna was the second god I've killed, despite what some rumors say." Naruto corrected.

"I see, I'll keep that in mind." Voban grinned in anticipation as his eyes turned a glowing green and Naruto sensed what felt like a powerful genjutsu settle over his body.

Glancing down, he narrowed his eyes at his legs began turning into salt and they became angry slit when he noticed the same happening to Yuri and Erica at a faster rate. Without another word, he flared his charka, releasing it in wave that washed away the invading magic from their bodies.

"Oh? That's a first. I did not expect you to be too vulnerable to my cursed eyes, but I did not think you would be able to protect those two also." Voban observed curiously.

" _ **Tree of Life that feeds on the blood of war, One Eyed God from which beasts are born, grant onto me your Divine Fruit!"**_ Naruto uttered _**"**_ _ **I shall gaze through the Eyes of the Kaguya!"**_ he finished and focused to make a third eye open from a vertical slit on his forehead to glare at the old man with the _**Rinne-Sharingan**_.

"So you also have an eye-based Authority." Voban tensed.

" _ **Amenominaka."**_ Naruto uttered with a smirk and suddenly they were no longer in the park. Hell, it was not even nighttime any longer. They were in a seemingly endless desert under the light of noon. "Now then, here I won't need to hold back." He grinned in satisfaction.

"This… is new." Voban looked around with a wary interest. "This is not the Netherworld… nor does it feel like any divine space I've been in before. Where are we?" he frowned.

"In another dimension that I own." Naruto replied. "An entire plant covered in sand."

"…A whole planet?" Voban's eyes widened. "What kind of god did you usurp this from?"

"A goddess capable of creating worlds… and destroy them." Naruto shrugged before activating his Mangekyo Sharingan and glaring at the old man _**"Amaterasu!"**_ he mentally declared as black flames shot at unreal speeds at the oldest Campione… who barely dodged and darted away from the fire when it grew into a dragon head and tried to swallow him whole.

"Interesting! You actually come at me with the intent to kill!" Voban laughed as he turned into very large werewolf and moved as great speed away from the flames. **"Kranjcar, keep the Diavolo Rosso occupied!"** he ordered.

"Understood, your highness." The silver-haired girl called out and soon enough she was engaging Erica in a sword fight and getting irritated over the blonde's remarks.

" **Now, let us see if your flames can attack more than one target."** Voban grinned ferally as from his shadow dozens of large wolf Divine Beasts emerged and darted towards the younger Campione…

…only to be ripped apart by just as many _**Kage Bunshin**_ wielding _**Rasangan**_.

" **Those are not illusions… a multiplication Authority? Let's see how many you can make!"** Voban declared as hundreds more wolves emerged and attacked.

It took a bit longer, perhaps half a minute, but the result was the same, with an army of _**Kage Bunshin**_ tearing through the Divine Beasts like they were nothing.

"Is that it? Is that all you can do? Throw a few mutts at me?" Naruto taunted.

" **Hm, you are quite right."** Voban agreed. **"How about something with a bit more intellect?"**

From the ground, all over around them, they emerged. Looking like they had been mummified, with sunken eyes or without them at all, with decayed flesh or entirely skeletal, an army of undead appeared.

"Is that all you have?" Naruto formed a cross Handseal and created ten times as many clones of himself. "If you have any more minions, you would do well to bring them out. Cause when I'm done with them, you're next!" he threatened.

" **Fine then!"** Voban snapped angrily causing more and more undead servants to emerge until they nearly matched the numbers of the clones. **"Do you like it, Uzumaki? This is the army I have amassed in my time as a Campione! A perfectly obedient army of Dead Servants that can never even question my orders!"** he declared.

"Yeah. They'll do." Naruto grinned victoriously, deeply unsettling the transform Devil King. Clapping his hands together, Naruto called out _**"Outer Path: Samsara of Heavenly Life!"**_ he roared as he flared his power.

In the middle of the army of Dead Servants and _**Kage Bunshin**_ , ghostly purple flames erupted and from them emerged a demonic looking head with a neck that was apparently dozens of meters long as it reached towards the sky. Then, it opened its mouth with its jaw stretching until it reached the ground and from it emerged thousands of strands of green light that flowed into the Dead Servants rendering them still before they began to change, regenerating and reviving until, not one minute later, they were all alive once more.

" **BRAT!"** Voban roared furiously. **"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!"**

"I freed them." Naruto shot back, breathing a bit heavily though grinning in satisfaction nonetheless. "They're alive now, you can't control them any longer."

" **Ha! You wasted your strength, child! All I need to do…"** Voban began as he shifted back into his human form and raised his hand as storm clouds suddenly appeared and cracked with thunder "Is kill them all once more."

" _ **Amenominaka."**_ Naruto called out and, suddenly, they were all back in the park, clones and revived servants included, but the storm clouds had not followed them, remaining in the sky of Naruto's Desert Dimension. Before Voban could do more than regain their bearings, Naruto dispelled half of his _**Kage Bunshin**_ to regain their chakra and tossed his mobile phone to the nearest clone. _**"Amenominaka."**_ He repeated and suddenly he, Yuri, Erica, Liliana and Voban were in a mountainous region of Kaguya's former Core Dimension. "And then there was one." Naruto grinned.

"Ha! You think that just because you've taken away my Dead Servants, you've won?" Voban laughed to cover his anger. "Brat, I have been a Campione for over three centuries! I have far more Authorities then the meager handful you can call upon! **But I only need my favored ones for an upstart like yourself!"** he declared as once more wolves appeared, this time thousands of them, at the same time shifting to his beast form.

And this time, Naruto was not idle as they appeared. Instead, he called upon the power of the _**Sharingan**_ portion of his Shinju Authority and copied Voban's Authority, **Legion of Hungry Wolves**.

" _Hm, he got this from Apollo? Wasn't he a sun god? Weird…"_ the blond mused even as he gathered a massive amount of chakra in his fist before unleashing it all with one punch as he invoked another part of his Shinju Authority. _**"Eighty Gods Vacuum Fists!"**_ he called out and all but instantly the army of wolves were reduced to nothingness as the fists of what seemed like giants made of energy punched them to oblivion.

Unfortunately, Voban's wolf form was quite agile and he managed to get away from most of the attack, only being clipped which led to him losing his left arm. This did not seem to deter him, though, and under the cover of the cloud of dust and debris Naruto's attack had raised, he managed to get within ten feet of the whiskered blond…

" _ **Mugen Tsukuyomi."**_ Naruto said calmly as he third eye flashed and Voban froze mid-lunge, his body becoming slack as his raised claw dropped. "This fight is over." He decreed as he formed a _**Rasenshuriken**_ in his hand and threw it at the wolf-man, cutting him in half at the waist and then engulfing him in a dome of millions of tiny wind blades that attacked him at a cellular level. "Okay, let's get out of here. Liliana-san, you don't need to obey his orders anymore." He called out only to blink when he noticed that the two knights had already stopped fighting.

"I've already convinced Lily that Voban is not someone worth following." Erica assured him. "Apparently, it was her grandfather who insisted she enter the Marquis' service."

"I see, that's good to hear…" Naruto began with a smile only to blink when Liliana darted at and past him…

Just in time to parry a strike from a Dead Servant that had emerged behind him.

"You betray me, Kranjcar?" Voban's voice was heard and he emerged from the cloud of dust the persisted once the wind dome had faded. "That's fine, I was planning on turning you into a Dead Servant anyway; that's the only kind I can truly trust."

"You died." Naruto narrowed his eyes as he glared at the old man. "I felt you die."

"You will find, child, that there are such things at Authorities that permit resurrection of a Campione. You just revived over twenty thousand of my Dead Servants, surely you are not that surprised?" Voban taunted.

Then, a dozen more Dead Servant's emerged all around Liliana and Naruto acted the moment he saw a blade heading for her unprotected back.

He invoked the power of the _**Rinnegan**_ of Authority Theft and, just like it had happened against Athena, it succeeded at the cost of sealing off his Shinju Authority. Nevertheless, for the next 24 hours Voban's **Death Ring** was his.

"What? No!" Voban exclaimed in shock and anger as he felt the Authority ripped away from him even as the Dead Servants engaging Liliana collapsed into dust.

"Didn't anyone tell you that if you don't play nice with your toys, they'll be taken from you?" Naruto taunted mischievously. "Prometheus is not then only one capable of Authority Theft.

"You will pay for this, dearly." Voban snarled as he raised his hand towards the sky.

Rather than the storm clouds from before, a rain of crimson fire descended upon them.

Naruto did not hesitate. Within and instant three _**Kage Bunshin**_ had been formed and in the next they had grabbed the girls and used the Hiraishin to get them to the other side of the planet. As for himself, he activated the _**Kamui**_ and watched with a bored expression as the flames phased through him and reduced the already arid region to a scorched wasteland.

"Is that it?" Naruto called out. "'Cause my grandma could make hotter fire just by glaring at me when I called her old.

With a snarl, Voban extinguished the flames and took his werewolf form before charging at him at incredible speed. He did not even make it halfway to the whiskered blond when suddenly he could no longer feel his legs and found himself falling on his face. Turning to look, his blood went cold when he saw that his lower body had been ripped away from him just above the hips. Not like before where he had just been cut in half, but _ripped_ away.

"You know, Voban? I don't enjoy killing." Naruto commented as he walked towards his downed enemy. "In fact, I've been called a fool countless times for being too nice to my enemies, trying to redeem them and give them second chances."

" **Let me guess, you want me to surrender and atone for my sins?"** Voban laughed.

"No, I want you to die and atone for your sins in death." Naruto replied. "You see, old man, I have this gift to sense negative emotions. And that is all I've been getting from you. There is nothing left in you to redeem, merely a rabid dog. So if you can't be redeemed, you can be punished." He decided as he unsealed a kunai. _**"I hereby swear, I forbid the existence of things I cannot cut!"**_ he called out causing both his right arm and the kunai he was holding to turn a glowing silver.

" **Impossible! T-That's…!"** Voban managed to say before his head was separated from his body followed by his torso being cut to pieces.

As the life of the Oldest Campione ended, Naruto felt a shudder running though his body and after focusing his attention on it, he realized what it was. **Dead Ring** had become his. Apparently, he was able to make his own the Authorities he had stolen if he killed their previous users within the 24 hours time period he was able to keep the Authority from them with his _**Rinnegan's**_ Theft.

And, looking down at the corpse, he knew exactly who he wanted to use it on. He could feel it in the nature of the Authority, it had mutated when he had inherited it just like Authorities do when they are usurped from Heretic Gods. From what he could tell, he had a limit in how many Dead Servants he could call from the grave. On the other hand, the quality of his Dead Servants was far superior to those of Voban, allowing him to call up even Campione he had slain and they would be in the same conditions as before their deaths.

He did not need words, this Authority required his will and intent more than fancy words, and within a few seconds of focus, from the ground besides the corpse, emerged a momentarily translucent Sasha Dejanstahl Voban before he became fully solid.

"…"

"…"

Naruto and the old man glared at each other for a few seconds before, reluctantly, Voban bowed.

"Tsk, you won. I'm yours to command, brat." The old man grunted irritably.

"Do you retain your Authorities?" Naruto inquired.

"All but the one you're using right now." Voban replied. "Some still need time to recharge after our battle, however."

"Great. Now I want you to return to your territory and continue protecting it from Heretic Gods and Divine Beats. You are not allowed to abuse your authority over the people there, but as long as you don't go on killing them you can keep them in line through fear. You can retaliate with equal lethal force if attacked, but don't go on killing sprees against innocents. If you disobey me, I'll know and I'll make you do the most humiliating tasks I can think of… and I have a very rich imagination." Naruto gave him his best prankster smile, earning a twitch from the old man.

"Fine, as long as I can still get to fight Heretic Gods I can… accept this." Voban agreed reluctantly.

Not that he had much of a choice in the matter. If it came down to it, Naruto could simply completely overpower his will and render him a perfectly obedient if somewhat mindless servant.

"Good to hear." Naruto grinned as he reached out and placed a Hiraishin marker on the back of the old man's neck before placing a hand on his head and used the Human Path of the Rinnegan to take him memories, including Voban's home. "You have your order. Go." He said as he used the _**Kamui**_ to open a large portal right outside Voban's castle, through which the old man stepped through without a word.

As soon as the rift closed, Naruto used _**Amaterasu**_ to destroy the mutilated corpse before teleporting on the other side of the planet before three nervous girls and three bored clones that dispelled as soon as he showed up.

"What happened?" Erica demanded instantly.

"I kicked ass and sent him home. He won't be bothering any of us again." Naruto grinned.

"That's excellent news." Erica smiled brilliantly as she leaned forward and gave him a kiss.

"Erica-san!" Yuri exclaimed outraged.

"Truly, you have become shameless Erica!" a blushing Liliana added.

"What? Is it wrong for my King to be rewarded with a kiss by his lover upon his victory?" Erica smiled.

" **L-Lover?!"** the other two girls yelled.

"Never mind that now, I need your advice on something urgent." Naruto cut in before the situation could escalate.

"What is it, Naruto?" Erica looked at him questionably.

"Er… you wouldn't happen to know what we can do with the several thousand people I just resurrected would you?" Naruto asked nervously.

"…Oh dear."

 **A.N.: Back with another chapter. Hope you enjoyed it. I know I'm a few days late, but happy new year, everyone!**

 **Now then, here are Shinju Authority powers used in this chapter:**

 **[Tails of the Shinju]: Kaguya Incarnation – Rinne-Sharingan:**

 **Outer Path: Samsara of Heavenly Life – one use per month, revives an unlimited number of dead people without side-effects, as long as the user is aware and focusing on them, within ten-kilometer radius**

 **Eighty Gods Vacuum Fists – 80 simultaneous giant fists of chakra capable of shattering mountains; 10 uses per day**

 **Sharingan Authority Copy – one use per day; if used on an incompatible Authority, [Tails of the Shinju] becomes sealed for a day**

 **Rinnegan Authority Theft – one use per day, effects last one day; if the Heretic God or Campione from whom the Authority had been stolen is slain by Naruto, the stolen Authority becomes Naruto's permanently; if used on an incompatible Authority, [Tails of the Shinju] becomes sealed for a day**

 **Amenominaka – dimensional shifting; 10 uses per day**

 **Mugen Tsukuyomi – traps the target in an illusion that can be dispelled by either the caster or death; one use per month**

 **Kurama Incarnation – Divine Protection of the Demon Fox – bestows a Chakra Cloak, Blood Shroud or Chakra Mode on an ally**


	7. Chapter 7

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own Naruto or Campione. Naruto is the property of Masashi Kishimoto and Campione is the property of Takedzuki Jou.

 _Italics text = character thinking to themselves._

 _Underline+Italics = character communicating with telepathy_

 **Bold text = shouting**

 _ **Bold+Italcs = Casting Spell/Ability**_

 **Chapter Seven**

 **Of Serpents and Serpent Slayers**

 _July 25_ _th_

Slowly sinking into the hot spring up to chest level, Naruto sighed in both relief and tiredness.

The aftermath of the battle with Voban had been a nightmare. Not only difficult, but also bloody. As it turned out, a significantly large number of the newly revived former Dead Servants were even viler then Voban himself, and countless others had simply been driven insane by the centuries of forced undead service.

Even among those with something resembling moral fiber who retained their minds, many simply wished to die – and this time for good.

Which let to Naruto being forced to use **Amenominaka** on them all once more, taking them to the Core Dimension where he bound them all with the **Shin: Jukai Kotan** ability of the Kaguya's Incarnation of the Shinju Authority. With it, not only were they all securely bound, but due to the connection to his chakra he could use the roots as mediums for some as his Jutsu.

That was how he gave himself the mother of all headaches by repeatedly using the Rinnegan's Human Path to read the minds of each and every one of his captives. He did not do full mind-scans, that would have destroyed him, but between reading their surface thoughts and sensing their intent with his empathy, he was able to root out those that could not be saved for one reason or another, or simply wished to die

He was also able to select those who deserved a second chance at live and desired it, whom he freed and sent back to Tokyo via _**Kage Bunshin**_ escorts using _**Hiraishin**_.

The rest, though, were summarily executed via having the live drained out of them via the _**Shin: Jukai Kotan**_ , compressing the gathered life force into a new _**Divine Fruit**_ which he stored away for when he needed it. After all, he could now create a _**Divine Fruit**_ out of his own power every ten days, though only 10 could exist at the same time.

If he consumed a _**Divine Fruit**_ , the use of his exhausted non-Shinju Authorities would be restored though he could only eat one per day. On the other hand, he was quite certain that that if a normal human ate it, they would not only gain access to Chakra, but also become immortal just like Kaguya had.

After that messy affair, the remaining couple thousand revived humans were far easier to deal with, what with the History Compilation Committee helping out with arranging transportation back to their home countries. Most of them were European, with only a couple dozen Asian and a handful of Africans.

Before they left, however, they all swore fealty to Naruto above all else, promising to answer his call even if it would lead to their deaths.

At that debacle, the vacation to Italy at Lucretia's villa that Erica arranged with the famous Witch was just what he needed get his mind off all the blood he had had to spill to prevent further trouble.

It was only him, Lucretia, Yuri, Erica and her maid Adriana in the whole house and the past few days had been wonderfully relaxing… and pleasurable. As it turned out, Erica had not only managed to gather her courage to have sex with him, she had also invited Lucretia to join in to show the young _**Diavolo Rosso**_ the ropes… though the Italian blonde most certainly did not expect to have both Lucretia and Naruto team up on her and bring her to orgasm after orgasm after orgasm, leaving her almost unconscious after which they treated her to the show of Naruto and a few Kage Bunshin claiming each and every one of the older woman's holes, gangbanging her for several hours until even her famous Witch vitality failed her.

His relationship with Yuri had also improved, with the Hime-Miko becoming more daring and initiating kisses with him. They had not gone too far yet, restricting themselves to some heavy petting, but Naruto was well aware what was the source of her newfound daring and desire: during the second night at Lucretia's villa, Yuri had almost walking on him, Erica and Lucretia having sex and had spent the next couple hours spying on their activities, eventually pleasuring herself as she watched the show. She had not returned after that despite now knowing for sure how he and the two Italian ladies were spending their nights, but she had become more daring and, dare he say it, lustful.

That being said, even relaxing and enjoying himself to the fullest had not been able to wash away the thousands of disturbing memories he had crammed into his head by using the _**Human Path**_ to read even just the surface memories of the people he had revived from being Voban's undead slaves, and he had no doubt those memories would continue to plague him for a few more weeks if not months.

Because of this, more often than not, he had been retreating outside to the hot springs after his bedmates Lucretia and Erica fell asleep and soaked in the hot water as he meditated, entering Sage Mode and using it's associated calm clear his mind before going to sleep to ward off nightmares. It was not fully successful, but it helped.

Thoughts of peace and relaxation, however, faded away when a familiar divine aura washed over him. Opening his eyes, he was unsurprised to see a flock of own converging into the form of a silver haired girl with violet eyes in her early teens wearing something akin to a school uniform and a knit cap on her head.

"It's been a while, Naruto Uzumaki. To meet once again, I feel a sense of elation." Athena said, giving off a faint smile.

Seeing her appearing as a cute girl, Naruto once again wondered how she could be a goddess of Earth, Darkness, War and Death.

"Yeah, it's been a while." Naruto agreed. "What brings you to this place?"

"What a foolish question. You were the one who plunged right into my territory. To meet again in this land, it is an inevitable fate. Don't you agree?" she asked in amusement.

"Good point." He agreed. "Still, I doubt you just happened to come across me, so why don't you join me in the water while we chat." The blond suggested with a nod to the other side of the hot spring, a few meters in front of him.

"…very well." Athena agreed after a few seconds of consideration as she advanced towards the edge of the water.

Naruto turned his head to the side to give her some privacy while she undressed and got into the water, only to blink at a familiar sound and glance back.

Sure enough, there was Athena and she was walking on water, not dissimilar to how ninja did so using chakra, and rather then head to where he had indicated so that she may have a measure of privacy she was advancing towards him.

Naruto stated at her for a few seconds, taking in her full appearance. Despite her apparent youth, Athena was still a beauty of divine proportions, with smooth and ethereally pale skin with perfect proportions for her apparent age. His eyes followed her smooth thighs up to the curve of her hips, sparing a few moments to glance at her hairless mound and her tantalizing netherlips, before continuing upwards with her flat abdomen followed by her perky breasts with currently erect pink nipples standing proud on her pale B-cup mounds, then her delicate neck, her pouty lips framed by slightly blushing cheeks before finally locking onto violet orbs that stared at him, as if daring him to comment in some way.

Wisely, he kept his mouth firmly shut until she was towering over him, causing him to look directly at her crotch of he looked upwards, before slowing sinking into the water and settling on his left where, after a few moments of consideration, she leaned against him.

"So… what have you been up to since we last saw each-other?" Naruto spoke up.

"I have been seeking out other Grimoire holding the power of Earth Mother Goddesses like myself." She replied, earning a blink from the blond. "The conclusion of our battle… it left me rather weakened, more than before I absorbed the **Gorgoneion**." She frowned in irritation.

"Sorry about that." Naruto apologized as he placed his left arm around her as if to give her a slight hug, causing her to momentarily stiffen before relaxing once more. "But you were causing a lot of trouble and likely a lot of damage would have followed. What the hell were you planning, anyway? I doubt you suddenly decided to restore your power after being around as a Heretic God for while already."

"A few centuries, to be precise." Athena agreed with a sigh. "As you familiar with my legend, you know how I used to lead the pantheon I am part of, only to be overthrown by the rebellion of the male Gods. Zeus, in particular." She hissed the name.

"And?" he inquired, now using both his hands to gently massage her shoulders in an attempt to calm he down before she drew the attention of the girls in the villa, or blew something up.

"I wanted revenge." Athena closed her eyes as she appreciated his ministrations. "I have foreseen that Zeus shall soon descend as a Heretic God somewhere in the world, and I wished to regain my full strength to face him. However…" she lowered her head as she sighed again "The rush of regaining my old power overwhelmed me somewhat after such a long time, and…"

"It went to your head making you want to try it out." Naruto nodded in understanding. From what he had managed to eventually learn from Sakura, Sasuke had reacted similarly upon awakening after being branded with Orochimaru's Cursed Seal. "If you didn't start drowning the world in darkness, I probably wouldn't have even bothered fighting you, you know. That said, I suppose it's my fault you're weakened now. You said you have a way to recover?"

"To an extent, yes." Athena agreed. "I could never make a full recovery using power that is not my own, but as it originates from fellow Earth Mother Goddesses it is compatible enough to restore some of my strength. It is what has drawn me to Italy, actually."

"Oh, another Grimoire? These Italians keep uncovering them one after another." Naruto whistled in appreciation.

"These lands bear the marks of many gods, both those worshiped here and foreign ones. It is not that surprising." The goddess pointed out.

"Hm, is it close by?" he inquired.

"Naples." Athena replied.

"Well… If you would like, I'll tag along. Since it's my fault that you're weakened… and that way I can keep an eye on you and make sure you don't go crazy again." He offered.

"…Very well, this goddess shall accept your companionship for this trip." Athena nodded after some consideration. "However…"

Naruto suddenly went very still and paled drastically when her soft and delicate hand suddenly moved under the water much like a snake darting at a target and wrapped her fingers around the erection he's had since seeing her naked, grasping it firmly.

"…I feel the need to inform you that the punishment for lusting over a virgin goddess such as myself is often death." She stated with a smirk as she slowly began to squeeze.

"In-In that case, you've punished me already back in Tokyo!" Naruto blurted out quickly, trying – and failing – not to panic at the knowledge that that de soft hand current grasping his dick held enough strength to shatter boulders, never mind ripping his manhood off.

"Hm, you bring up a good point." Athena tilted her head thoughtfully much like one of her owls, at the same time lessening her grip making Naruto count his blessings.

He then proceeded to do a recount and mentally send his thanks to whatever deity was currently favoring him, as her hand began to apparently absentmindedly move up and down his length, slowly stoking his erection.

"Yes, I believe you have been punished accordingly." She stated as she let go and proceeded to turn away from him. Then, she rose to the surface of the water once more… and bent over giving him a marvelous view of her perfect ass as well as her puckered hole and the slit below it, all the while dripping water.

"I will wait for you on the beach, Naruto Uzumaki." She stated before once more breaking apart into a flock of owls that flew off.

Naruto remained perfectly still and silent for several seconds.

" _ **You just got teased and blue-balled by that goddess, brat."**_ Kurama cackled from the confines of his mind.

"Yeah, I noticed." Naruto grumbled before getting out of the water with a sigh and heading for the nearest bathroom to relieve some pressure – he doubted Lucretia would appreciate him dirtying the water in her hot spring regardless of her fondness for his spunk.

Ten minutes later, he arrived at Athena's side, both of them once more clothed.

"So… how are we getting there?" Naruto asked.

"I shall travel the same way I have done to arrive on this island. I shall fly." Athena replied.

"…Well, I could summon either Chomei to fly on or Isobu to sit on as he swims to Naples." Naruto mused before turning to eye the sea.

" _ **You could use your Six Paths Sage Mode and fly as well."**_ Kurama reminded him.

" _Yeah, but she doesn't know I can do that and given that after I beat her she said she'll fight me again in the future, I don't want to show her more of my bigger tricks."_ Naruto shot back to the Biiju. "Actually, you know what? I'll just run on the water all the way to Naples. The sea is pretty calm, after all." He decided. "Just show me the way, okay Athena?"

"Very well, this goddess shall guide you." She agreed as she lifted off the ground and headed towards the sea with the blond swiftly walking after her, including on the surface of the water.

 _Timeskip – three hours later_

All in all, Naruto had rather enjoyed his nocturnal stroll across the sea to the Italian mainland. Unlike the crowded and polluted cities that he had grudgingly become accustomed to since coming into this world, the sea was quiet, as clean and nature could be and without the millions of artificial lights in the vicinity he could actually see the stars in the night sky.

Of course, the trip was not undertaken in total silence. While at the beginning he took the opportunity to appreciate the scenery, after some time he became bored with it, so he drew the silent Athena into conversation once more, taking the opportunity to tell her about his confrontation and victory over Marquis Voban.

Of course, just like with everyone else, he neglected to tell her that he had killed and revived Voban as his undead minion. He may never be a genius like Sasuke or Kakashi, but even he could easily predict how not just the other Campione but also the various Magic Associations would react: fear, panic and lots and lots of violence. After all, it was one thing to have a few thousand mages as underlings, something most Campione had in one form or the other, either directly or indirectly, and another thing entirely to have a Campione at your beck and call, potentially even more in the future, making the other Campione feel threatened.

Eventually, they found themselves on the streets of Naples heading towards the entrance of the underground refuge of witches within which Athena had discovered the **Heraion** to be held in when the ground shook as an explosion took place.

"The hell?" Naruto wondered as he regained his balance.

"Hoh? I believe the source of the disturbance is… or rather was our destination." Athena remarked as she flew on top of a building to get a better look.

"Did the Grimoire blow up or something?" Naruto asked as he landed next to her.

"Unlikely. The **Heraion** has existed for millennia, it would not cause such a disturbance on its own." Athena shook her head before narrowing her eyes at the emerald star that had erupted from the ground and stopped in the sky.

There, it began to change becoming physical and eventually a green dragon stood in its place.

"Hm... It seems like someone had carelessly stimulated the essence of the land." Athena frowned slightly.

"Is it a god?" Naruto activated his Rinnegan to get a better look at it.

"No, it's probably something like a divine beast although its origins should have connections to a god..." she corrected.

They stood there watching as dragon roared at something on the ground before flaring its power. In response, the sea by the harbor reacted and proceeded to strike at something bellow the dragon before washing it away from the mainland.

"…Was that Doni?" Naruto asked incredulously.

"Your older sibling, the Godslayer of this land?" Athena took her eyes from the dragon for a moment to gaze at the sea. "Yes, if what I have heard of him is accurate, he would indeed be foolish enough to cause this."

"So… what now?" Naruto inquired. "We kill the dragon?"

"I would prefer it not come to that." The goddess frowned. "Not only would it make our trip a waste of time, but the dragon represents the life force of this land. Should it die, calamity shall fall upon the region"

"Damn, there goes the easy option." Naruto grumbled. "Maybe we can seal it?" he suggested.

"No need. Just as the Grimoire it has slept within, I can absorb it within myself." She assured him.

Suddenly, a light like a flash of lightning, from nowhere, as if aiming for the dragon, swooped down somewhere in its general vicinity.

"I have a really bad feeling about this." Naruto narrowed his eyes.

"Indeed. We have just witnessed the descent of a troublesome god. Fufu, things are just starting to get interesting." Athena chuckled.

The dragon roared in anger and defiance, shaking all of Naples, before descending towards the newcomer Heretic God. Seconds later, the dragon roared again, only this time is was more like a wail of pain, followed by another.

"We need to hurry." Athena declared as she flew off.

"I'll distract the god, you absorb the dragon?" Naruto offered as he roof-hopped after her.

"Acceptable." Athena agreed.

" _ **Fear of the winged, both the evil and the powerful, all shall fear I who hold these feathered wings. My wings will bring you curse and just desserts!"**_ he uttered the Sacred Spell Words for the **Raptor** and blurred into motion, soon enough slamming into the white-clad Heretic God and pushing him away a few dozen feet before backing away, preventing him from dealing the killing blow to the wounded dragon. "Sorry about that." Naruto sheepishly apologized to his fellow blond. "But I can't let you kill that dragon."

"Naruto Uzumaki? Why are you here in such a place!?" a familiar voice spoke up and glancing in that direction he immediately recognized her.

"Oh, hey Liliana." He greeted. "Fancy seeing you here."

"…Likewise." She seemed rather strained.

"I don't suppose you know how Doni caused this mess, do you? I saw him being washed away earlier." The whiskered blond inquired.

"…When we showed him the **Heraion** , he decided it was too big to carry around like you did with the **Gorgoneion** and used his Authority to cut it into smaller pieces." Liliana sighed.

"That… sounds just like him." Naruto remarked dully.

"Hm, you have quite the nerve, young Godslayer. Ignoring this Here like this." The Heretic God commented with some irritation.

"Oh, I'm not ignoring you." Naruto countered. "I'm merely distracting you to buy her enough time."

"Her…?" the God turned back towards the dragon at a flash of green light and sure enough Athena was there and within moments she had absorbed it. "I see. So you are Athena's ally, then."

"Naruto Uzumaki… Did you, by any chance, bring that goddess to Naples?" Liliana asked incredulously.

"Actually, when I heard that she planned on absorbing the **Heraion** I decided to tag along in case she got high on power like she did in Tokyo." Naruto shrugged before turning his attention to the male god. "My name is Naruto Uzumaki. Who are you?"

"I am the Serpent Slaying Hero, Perseus." The Heretic God introduced himself.

"Perseus? The guy that beheaded Medusa?" Naruto blinked.

"Indeed, it seems you've heard of me." Perseus smiled in satisfaction.

"How did that work, anyway?" Naruto tilted his head. "I mean, being sent by Athena to kill Medusa who is actually still her."

"You could have asked me that question, Naruto Uzumaki." Athena commented as she floated at his side.

"Yeah, but that makes you sound pretty suicidal an I don't want another kiss of death from you." Naruto pointed out sheepishly.

"The answer is quite simple, young Godslayer." Perseus spoke up. "At that time, Athena and Medusa had descended as separate Heretic Gods."

"And Athena wanted her other half dead?" Naruto pointed out. "That still sounds suicidal, no matter how you look at it."

"I had Perseus seal her power into my **Aegis** which I reabsorbed upon its return." Athena explained. "Of course, there was a portion I could not take back at that time, which is how the **Gorgoneion** came into being."

"Ah." Naruto nodded, finally understanding, before turning his attention back to the blond Heretic God. "So… I don't suppose you'd be willing to end things here since you don't have a dragon to kill any more, would you?"

"Oh, but I do have my favored prey standing right next to you." Perseus smirked.

"…Right. Dragon is just another word for Snake around here." Naruto grumbled as Athena drew her scythe.

He remained silent for the next few minutes as the two Heretic Gods clashed, both with their weapons as well as their other powers, with Athena bringing forth massive serpents of sand which Perseus neutralized with his **Serpent Killing Words of Power**.

When he had to use the still active **Raptor's** speed to save Liliana from a building collapsing on her head, he decided that enough was enough. Gently placing the blushing girl back on her feet, he blurred to appear between the two Heretic Gods.

" _ **Shinra Tensei!"**_ he snapped, blasting them away with a wave of gravity. "That's enough. If you want to keep fighting, do it somewhere else. There are people who will still need this town to live in after you're done."

"Hm, very well." Athena said with a slight smirk. "Shall we retreat this time round, hero of steel? I have just remembered that I had planned to train this boy well."

"Come again?" Naruto asked, not liking the sound of that.

"Naruto Uzumaki, if you would like for the city to not get involved, then you will have to fight for it, as a King, to protect your own friends. This is indeed good training that the inexperienced you have to undertake." Athena stated.

"Fufu. To be able to exchange blows with both a Godslayer and the Queen of Serpents, this is getting more and more exciting." Perseus grinned.

"…This is still payback for earlier, isn't it?" Naruto hung his head.

"Perhaps." Athena's lip twitched.

"Troublesome." Naruto sighed. "Fine, I'll play along. But not here. You wanna fight me, then catch up with me!" he declared before disappearing with Godspeed.

Sure enough, the others were following him, with Liliana hopping from place to place using her magic, Athena as a flock of owls and Perseus as a beam of light making him the closest one to Naruto and even beginning to catch up.

Reaching an abandoned-looking area, he decided it was good enough and stopped on a large warehouse, with Perseus doing the same.

"Hm, not exactly the scene I was hoping for, but it will do." Perseus decided. "Now, let us do battle, Godslayer!" he declared as he materialized a scythe in his hand.

Feeling the **Steel** in it, Naruto decided it was compatible with his own power.

" _ **Tree of Life that feeds on the blood of war, One Eyed God from which beasts are born, grant onto me your Divine Fruit!**_ _ **I shall gaze through the Eyes of the Kaguya!"**_ he uttered opening the **Rinne-Sharingan** on his forehead. Focusing it on the scythe, he tried using the _**Sharingan**_ ability and was pleased when it was copied… only to break out in a cold sweat when the capabilities of the **Harpe** were revealed to him. _"Immortality-sealing? Stops wounds from healing faster than normal? Did they make this shit up just to mess with me?!"_ he wondered incredulously.

"Hmph, what an unsightly eye. From an Earth Divinity, no doubt." Perseus scoffed.

"Yeah, I suppose using an Earth Authority would be a bad idea right now." Naruto reluctantly agree. "So let's heat things up a notch!" he grinned. _**"**_ _ **Glorious lord of the sun, Mithra be praised! To conquer all enemies, pray bestow upon my strongest self thousands of light and thousands of swords!"**_ he chanted and a Sun appeared in the night sky before descending towards a smiling Perseus… who did not seem worried in the least.

"That… was the worst choice you could have made, young Godslayer." The white-clad god uttered as he began emitting light as the Sun and, once close enough, the **White Stallion** was absorbed into him.

"…I'm gonna go on a limb and say you're not just a God of Steel, but also a Sun God." Naruto said in annoyance.

"Excellent deduction, but far too late." Perseus commented.

"We'll see about that!" Naruto's hands began crackling with lightning. _**"One who supports the heavens and the spreads throughout earth! Those who bestow grace and victory. Show me…"**_

"That's quite enough of that." Perseus chided condescendly. "The power you had usurped, was it from a war god of victory? My distant comrade, by one that came from the east... Truly unlucky." Perseus spoke as rings of light appeared behind him and began to shine brightly. _**"My ancestors, the light of the east, grant me power! in your name I request this miracle. By the oath of the serpent-slaying warrior, now is the time to grant me this strength!"**_

In response to these words of power, the rings shone with even greater intensity and Naruto's still gathering lightning faded away.

"Wha…?" Naruto began only to fall to a knee, grasping at his heart. _"The hell… The_ _ **Goat**_ _and the_ _ **Raptor**_ _… they were ripped away from me!"_ he realized after a quick introspection. _"No, all of Verethragna's incarnations were sealed away from me!"_ he realized.

" _ **Oi, Naruto! This guy said he was a comrade of Verethragna, right?"**_ Kurama spoke up.

" _What of it?"_ Naruto shot back a he forced himself to dodge to the side to avoid the arrow shot from the Bow that had replaced the **Harpe**.

" _ **Well, from what I can figure, this guy might be Mithra, Verethragna's boss, who is important enough to be mentioned in a few of your Incantations."**_ The fox within him reasoned.

" _Fat load of good that info will do now. The_ _ **Sword**_ _is sealed, remember?"_ Naruto pointed out as he formed a few Kage Bunshin and used them as distractions.

" _ **Midnight is just a few minutes away. And if you can't last that long, use a Divine Fruit to unseal the."**_ Kurama shrugged.

"Or I can take him out the old-fashioned way." Naruto decided as he focused his chakra and formed a _**Rasenshuriken**_ which he threw at the god.

"How, impressive spell!" Perseus praised "But a poor matchup." He declared as he lit one of his arrows in blinding flames and shot it at and through the ball of cutting wind, absorbing the Futon jutsu to grow to massive proportions before reaching Naruto… **"What?"** Perseus blinked in shock at the sight.

It was to be expected, it was not every day Naruto morphed into a huge bipedal wolf and _ate_ fire, absorbing every last flicker into himself before returning to normal.

"You're not the only one who can seal away Authorities, pal." Naruto smirked.

"…So it seems." Perseus grudgingly conceded… before firing more arrows, this time without the fire.

In response, Naruto dodged, conjured a couple dozen Kage Bunshin… and they all ran like hell, scattering in the four winds.

Perseus stared incredulously for a few seconds before mounting his Pegasus and giving chase.

As the blond god faded into the distance, chasing after what he believed to be the original, Athena landed on the warehouse followed by Liliana.

"Is he gone?" Naruto's voice came from a small pebble by their feet, startling the silver-haired human girl.

"Indeed." Athena replied in amusement, causing him to end his _**Henge**_.

"Naruto Uzumaki?" Liliana blinked. "But… what is Perseus chasing after, then?"

"A clone I switched with." He shrugged.

"Still, I did not expect you to run and hide." Athena pointed out chidingly.

"Give me a break, the guy sealed all 10 of Verethragna's Incarnations from me and the longer I was near him, the weaker I felt. He must have been draining my power." Naruto grumbled.

"He sealed away the **Persian Warlord's** Incarnations?" Liliana asked in shock. "How?"

"Apparently, he's not just Perseus but Mithra as well. So he's immune to fire and Sun Authorities, and as Verethragna's boss, he can steal his power." the blond sighed.

"Indeed. That is that fellow's identity." Athena confirmed.

"Say, Liliana… I don't suppose you know Mithra's history, do you?" Naruto eyed her carefully.

"No, only the basics." Liliana admitted. "I _might_ get a premonition with my **Spirit Vision** , but I am not as skilled at it as Yuri Mariya."

"You could always ask me, Naruto Uzumaki." Athena pointed out. "As the Goddess of Wisdom, such knowledge is at my perusal at all times."

"Kiss of death." Naruto deadpanned.

"…You're not letting that go, are you?" Athena grumbled.

"What's this about a kiss?" Liliana blinked.

"To impart the knowledge that he requires to forge his **Sword** Authority, the Instruction spell must be cast orally to bypass a Campione's Magic Resistance." Athena explained.

"Then… you were asking me to…" Liliana blushed brightly.

"I suppose I was a little forward." Naruto admitted sheepishly. "But it's for a good cause! Would it be that much of a chore to kiss me? I mean, Athena keeps trying to find excuses to do it."

"I am not!" the petite goddess exclaimed, a blush forming on her cheeks.

"You were molesting me not hours ago!" Naruto shot back.

"Molesting… you… with her… forbidden love…ah…" Liliana seemed to overheat and passed out.

"Well… that happened." Naruto scratched the back of his head sheepishly.

"Hmph, it is your fault for speaking such lies." Athena huffed.

"What lies, you…" he was cut off when she grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and pulled him into a kiss.

It was not particularly long, lasting merely a few seconds, but in that time, her longer than normal tongue explored his mouth and teased his own before pulling away.

"Do not forget that I am a goddess." She said in a superior tone. "I do not _try_ to do something. I go ahead and do it if I want to." she declared before turning and leaving as a flock of owls.

" _I wonder if she realizes that she just proved she wanted to kiss me."_ Naruto wondered before turning his attention to the unconscious teenage girl at his feet.

"Troublesome."

 _Timeskip – afternoon, next day_

It had not been too difficult to locate the few magi in the area and they turned out to be Liliana's comrades, so he ended up a guest at her current place of residence.

Then, the following morning, he proceeded to blindside her once more by asking her out on a date, leading to another fainting episode. Eventually, he managed to explain his reasoning, that he would earn that kiss from her.

She tried to reason with him, rather half-heartedly at that, that she still lacked the knowledge he needed, only for him to use the **Divine Protection of the Demon Fox** on her and sending her straight into a **Spirit Vision** that gave her just what they lacked.

And now…

"You know, I admit I was rather hesitant about this… but honestly enjoyed myself." Liliana said as the two of them leaned over the railing of the castle to watch the setting sun.

"You were more nervous than hesitant." Naruto shot back with chuckled. "Just because you can pretend you did not want to jump me, that does not make it any less true."

"H-How?" Liliana blushed.

"I'm an empath." He revealed. "It's pretty hard to hide your real emotions around me. Plus, the way you're acting reminds me of a friend from back home… especially the fainting when your imagination overheats your brain." His lips quirked when he thought if Hinata.

"Ah… I see." Liliana lowered her gaze in embarrassment.

"I'll be frank with you, Liliana. I like you and I would like to see if we could work together as boyfriend and girlfriend, perhaps more… but I'm not a one-woman-guy. I'm already dating Erica and Yuri. They already know this about me and are willing to accept other girls becoming involved with me as long as they approve of them… and given that you're Erica's best friend and on friendly terms with Yuri, I doubt they would disagree." He explained.

"I… I would like that." Liliana said shyly before leaning in and giving him a kiss that was soon deepened into a full make-out session.

Eventually, they came up for air and Liliana giggled.

"You know, we never did get around to giving you that information on Perseus-Mithra." She remarked in amusement.

"Eh?" Naruto blinked. "Oh, I totally forgot about that." He admitted.

"Let's fix that." She pulled him in for another kiss.

It was soon after that that Athena arrived and found them still making out in the balcony.

"It seems you're enjoying yourself, Naruto Uzumaki." The goddess commented coldly.

"Eh? Athena! How have you… are you okay?" the cheerfulness bleed out of his voice and he flickered at the petite goddess's side. "You're wounded!" he exclaimed as he eyed the red-stained bandages wrapped around her waist.

"Indeed. I have had an encounter with Perseus. I… made a mistake." Athena admitted.

"What happened?" Naruto frowned as he began channeling his chakra into her wound, to no effect. "This wound… he used **Harpe** , didn't he?"

"Yes. I have forgotten that during daytime solar deities receive a boost of power from the Sun. He took advantage of that and managed to land a blow on me." She stated with a frown. "Nevertheless, I have arranged a duel between you and he. You must kill him, Naruto Uzumaki or I shall do it myself."

"Given that he managed to wound you with **Harpe** , I'd say he has the advantage." Naruto pointed out, not wanting to alright say she could lose.

"He is not the only one who can draw on external sources of power." Athena smirked. "The mountain will provide all the advantage I need."

"When you say mountain… you're talking about Vesuvius? The volcano?" Liliana asked looking rather pale.

"That is correct." Athena confirmed.

Naruto groaned. It was just like the Heretic Goddess to risk the destruction of Napoli to get back at Perseus.

"Fine, I'll deal with him." Naruto agreed. "Where is this duel taking place."

"At Egg Castle, at sunset." Athena replied before taking to the air once more.

"…" Naruto stood there in shock for few seconds before erupting **"That means here and now!"**

"Godslayer, I have found you!"

"Fine, get over here! I have some aggression to relieve myself of!" Naruto growled.

Before Perseus could reply, he found himself blasted away by the same techniques used to break him and Athena apart the night before. This time, however, the whiskered blond was in pursuit and before the Pegasus-riding god knew it he was socked in the face with enough strength to throw him off his mount and to the plaza bellow, thankfully already emptied due to his divine presence warding off the regular mortals.

"You seem ready to fight, unlike the night before." Perseus remarked with narrowed eyes as he straightened himself.

"You caught me off guard by draining my strength. But as long as I don't use Verethragna's Authority, you can't do that again, can you… Mithra?" Naruto taunted.

"How, so you figured it out." The god smiled. "Or was it someone else?"

"Liliana told me all there is to know about you… and it just gave me another reason to kill you." Naruto narrowed his eyes. "I hate rapists."

"Whatever do you mean? I am no…" Perseus defended himself.

"Bullshit! I know what you did to Tiamat!" Naruto snapped. "Killing her is one thing, enslaving her like that and violating her is another matter entirely!"

"It seem we will have to agree to disagree." Perseus conceded before dashing at Naruto in a blur of speed, **Harpe** in hand and poised to strike… only for it to be stopped by another **Harpe**. **"What?"**

Taking advantage of his moment of distraction, Naruto grabbed the arm holding the scythe with his free hand and used his own **Harpe** to sever Perseus's right arm at the elbow. Then, as the bleeding Heretic God backed away, he raised his right foot, enhanced it with chakra and brought it down on the side of the scythe's blade, forming a crated even as the blade shattered.

"That's one less thing to worry about." He commented as he dismissed his own **Harpe**.

"How?" Perseus demanded. "How can you have **Harpe**? Did Athena… no, she would have used it herself if she had it…"

"That eye you disliked last night… it does more than sees. It also remembers and replicates." Naruto smirked.

"I see… so that's how it is." Perseus mused. "No matter." He commented as flames erupted from his stump and cauterized the wound. Then, his bow manifested in his free hand once more, followed by arrows that were drawn and fired on their own.

Dodging, Naruto began zig-zagging between the arrows as he approached Perseus, but eventually he was hit by one in the chest.

"Heh, I bought enough time anyway." 'Naruto' smirked before dispelling.

"What? When?" Perseus looked around wildly.

"Right after I dismissed **Harpe**." Came he response from above and looking that way Perseus was momentarily stunned by the whiskered blond's appearance as he seemed clad in golden flames and radiating inner light.

But it was what he held that made him most wary, the **Golden Sword**. With it in hand, if it was prepared right, Naruto would be able to sever his influence on Verethragna's Authorities before it took effect. And, as Perseus feared, the sword was 'forged' perfectly given that, when Naruto appeared within his guard and impaled him with it, he felt all his Authorities tied to his Mithra identity being severed.

Given that he still had strength left from his Perseus identity and that the wound dealt was mystical rather than physical in nature, he was able to gain some distance from the Godslayer and glare at him.

"How did you get so fast? That was not the **Raptor**." Perseus scowled.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Naruto grinned as the **Golden Sword** faded away.

"Yes, I would. Perhaps I can persuade you to answer." Perseus turned to the side and gave a charming smile to Liliana who was observing from a distance. "Help me teach this Godslayer a lesson, young maiden!" he commanded.

"Yes, Perseus." Liliana spoke blankly as her sword took its bow from and she fired a volley of azure-tipped arrows at Naruto.

"What the hell?" Naruto exclaimed as he dodged.

" _ **She's being controlled by Perseus. Probably tied to that legend about how he turned Tiamat into Andromeda."**_ Kurama commented.

"You're not getting away with this!" Naruto growled _**"**_ _ **Tree of Life that feeds on the blood of war, One Eyed God from which beasts are born, grant onto me your Divine Fruit!**_ _ **I shall gaze through the Eyes of the Kaguya!"**_ he uttered opening the **Rinne-Sharingan** on his forehead before using the _**Rinnegan**_ ability of Theft and ripped away the brainwashing Authority from the god. As it was an Authority of Steel, it had no side-effects for Naruto. "Liliana! Are you okay?"

"Y-Yes! Thank you for the save!" the silver haired girl called out as she scowled at Perseus before begging to fire upon him with her arrows.

"It seems you can do more than just copy Authorities." Perseus remarked as he dodged the Knight's arrows with ease… and then began to move at much higher speed as Naruto engaged him in close combat, a chakra-enhanced kunai in each hand.

"You have no idea what I'm capable off!" Naruto exclaimed as he used the **Rinne-Sharingan** once more, this time tapping into the _**Sharingan**_ ability of Copy to make his own whatever Perseus was using to keep up to such ease with his _**Biiju Chakra Mode**_. As he had expected, it was an Authority of Steel called _**Serpent Slaying Hero**_ which essentially granted the benefits of Verethragna's **Bull, Camel** and **Raptor** without any side-effects or specific requirements, the boost being twice as strong when against a Snake or Dragon. With a smirk, he activated it taking Perseus by surprise and dealing several wounds to him, rendering his other arm useless as well.

"So it has come to this." Perseus frowned.

A second later the Pegasus that Naruto had all but forgotten about descended upon him like a comet causing a massive explosion the engulfed the majority of the plaza.

" **Naruto!"** Liliana shouted in worry.

"It is pointless. Not even I could survive a point-blank attack from my Pegasus." Perseus commented.

"I told you already, you have no idea what I'm capable off!" Naruto walked out of the flames, his eyes now crimson with Obito's _**Mangekyo Sharingan**_ shining in them, having used _**Kamui**_ to phase through the explosion.

Before Perseus could do anything else, a black chasm opened up under him and he fell through before it closed.

"You're not getting away that easily!" Naruto exclaimed as he focused on the _**Hiraishin**_ marker he had branded on the god's flesh when he had grabbed his arm to cut it at the elbow with his copied **Harpe** , and teleported away.

When he reappeared, it was just in time to see Perseus die screaming, the glowing golden sand his body shattered into being absorbed by the crimson runes carved on the obsidian bellow.

"What the hell?" Naruto blinked as he looked around and after a few moments he realized he was most likely in the Netherworld.

"You? You were not supposed to be here!" young girl with long red and blue hair said in shock before shaking her head. "No matter, the ritual is already complete!" she declared joyously as the power from the runes flowed into her and under Naruto's wide eyes she first grew up into an exquisite mature – a naked one at that since her dress had been ripped by the sudden growth spurt – before she grew further while morphing into a humongous dragon colored in a mix of shades of blue, reminding him of the waves on the sea.

He had no more time to admire the admittedly impressive sight as it snapped its head towards him unleashing a stream of golden and purple flames, causing him to dodge like hell. Realizing that he had another fight on his hands, he began tapping into his… bigger Authorities and powers. This time, he did not have to worry about collateral damage from fighting in a populated city. Here, he would go all out.

" _ **Tree of Life that feeds on the blood of war, One Eyed God from which beasts are born, grant onto me your Divine Fruit! I shall emerge victorious as the Monkey King!"**_ he called out as he jumped into the sky and under him Son Goku, the Yonbi, was summoned. Landing on the monkey's head, he activated his Rinnegan eyes and shrouded the crimson monkey in his _**Susanoo**_ , at the same time summoning a humongous version of **Harpe** in its hands.

The battle was surprisingly short. From the looks of it, for all its aggression the dragon was not at full strength and with Naruto channeling his recently obtained _**Serpent Slaying Hero**_ through his _**Susanoo**_ there was no contest, the scaled beast soon laying bleeding from the stumps its wings and front appendages had been reduced to, another such wound on its back. And if that was not enough, the multiple burn wounds from the massive globs of lave the Yonbi had spat were certainly enough to take it down.

Under his attentive eyes, the dragon shrank back into the form of a woman, burnt, bleeding and with her arms cut off, who curled into a ball. He dismissed the _**Susanoo**_ and he Yonbi and cautiously approached her.

"Come, finish it." the goddess – for what else could she be? – spoke. "I will not hate you for it. It is my one fault for being overcome by my old nature… but after regaining it after so long… I could not resist." She admitted raising her head slightly to meet his eyes with her golden ones.

"I'm sorry I came to this." Naruto said quietly.

"As am I… I had hoped to enjoy my return to godhood a bit after being trapped in the body of a child for millennia…" she sighed.

"Trapped in… who _are_ you?" Naruto asked in shock.

"For the past couple millennia, I bore the name Andromeda which was forced upon me by my captor… but now, once more, I can proudly say that I… am… Tiamat." She uttered with her last breath and a smile on her bloodied lips as she broke apart into motes of light.

" _Tiamat. Perseus' rape victim. I killed her just after she finally became free."_ Naruto thought numbly before steeling his resolve even as he felt himself gaining not one but two Authorities from her. _"Hey, Kurama…"_

" _ **Go ahead, it's not like I can stop you."**_ The fox sighed.

In response, the **Rinne-Sharingan** opened once more.

 _Timeskip – next day_

Karen Jankulovski, Liliana's maid, was quite intrigued as she led Erica Blandelli and Yuri Mariya towards Naruto Uzumaki's current location. Given that he had apparently up and left with Athena without so much as a 'by your leave', she expected the _**Diavolo Rosso**_ and the Hime-Miko to be at the very least annoyed with him, if not outright angry. Yet they seemed in quite a good mood and the blond kept returning amused smiles to Karen's curious glances.

Some of their good mood, however, faded when they arrived and saw Naruto in the company of not just the silver-haired Liliana and Athena, but also that of a gorgeous redhead with ocean-blue fringes, golden eyes and lightly tanned skin that was giving their blond King a look they were quite familiar with.

"Erica, Yuri, nice to see you here." Naruto said with a strained smile. "This is Tiamat."

 **A.N.: I hope you consider it worth the wait.**

 **The Authorities used were all explained, so I won't elaborate further on them. Hope you enjoyed it.**


End file.
